Luis Suarez - Change or go!

I have just read the USA today article about the FA report on the Suarez/Evra incident and it's horrific.

Horrific, yet, sadly, not surprising.

I am certainly a fan of Suarez' football skills - he can be a great player to watch - and I am a die hard Liverpool supporter (YNWA), BUT......

I have never liked the man. Here is why:

1. The first time I saw him was during the World Cup here in South Africa when SA played Uruguay in a round robin match. He took one of the most blatant dives I have ever seen in the SA penalty area and actually conned the ref into awarding a spot kick!

2. Then there was that horrendous hand ball on the line against Ghana that had him sent off but somehow solicited cheers from the Uruguay fans - actually celebrating cheating, can you believe it??

3. Then the rumours started going about him coming to Liverpool and I cringed. I found out all about the "biting" incident at Ajax and I was stunned that Dalglish and my beloved club would want to buy such a discredit to the sport - but they did.

4. Despite his abundant skills, which he no doubt possesses, he continues to dive all around the field - I'm embarrassed at half the free kicks he wins. At least it seems that the refs have now finally got him figured.

5. Top it off with, if the article is accurate, this racist streak and you have a player that does not (on history) deserve to wear the strip of arguably the greatest club in football.

So, Mr Suarez, my advice to you.....

Stay on your feet, hold your tongue and let your football do the talking. You have the talent to be a Liverpool legend for the right reasons and if you can harness your temper and passion I'm sure you will be. I applaud you for being one of the few footballers who really cares when we are losing or playing badly - but how we win is as important as winning!

Liverpool management needs to realize that Suarez is bringing the game and the club into disrepute and he is just not worth it. They need to take a firm line with him and if he does not change he must go!!

You'll Never Walk Alone - but right now I wouldn't walk at Luis Suarez side! For an LFC fan that is really hard to accept and I'm sure I am not the only fan who feels this way!




 

Letter to SAA

Dear SAA,

Thank you for completely and totally ignoring my email and request despite the fact that I have proof that it was read early this morning.

This is completely and totally the last straw for me with this awful airline. Whilst I am a patriot and proud South African I can no longer support such a shoddy operation either personally or, to your detriment, with the thousands of international visitors our subsidiaries bring to South Africa every year as tourists and congress attendees.

I intend to instruct all of our subsidiaries to cancel their On-Biz accounts and to start recommending British Airways and other International Carriers over SAA in future.

Happily this evenings flight will be my last on your airline.

Regards from a very dissatisfied customer,

Jonathan Weltman
Chief Executive Officer
TSG Tourism Services Group
Tel SA: 0861 123 874
Tel UK: 020 8123 6250
Tel USA: (914) 595 1750
Tel AUS: (03) 9018 5250
Tel Int: +27 (21) 552 8679
Fax SA: 086 633 8479
Fax Int: +27 86 633 8479
www.tsg.travel

Cape Business News: Space Congress For Cape Town

From Cape Business News


CEO, Jonathan Weltman and his team at TSG Tourism Services Group have been instrumental in bringing home a bid for Cape Town to host Africa’s very first international space congress, to be attended by 2500 delegates from around the world.

Weltman was approached in 2008 by the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) to help them develop a bid to bring the conference to Africa for the first time.  Explains Weltman, “CityGuideSA – a wholly owned subsidiary of TSG – had previously assisted SAAO with corporate travel services and they approached us with the request to help them co-ordinate a bid to bring the conference to Africa.   With less than three months lead time, we co-ordinated the bid, working closely with SAAO, the City of Cape Town, Cape Town Convention Bureau and South Africa Tourism to develop a compelling bid which we presented and won at the 59th IAC held in Glasgow.”

TSG Tourism Services Group will be facilitating tourism and housing for this prestigious event, having developed a mobile app enabling delegates to register online, view conference programmes as well as book accommodation and tours in and around Cape Town. The mobile application was designed to make South Africa more accessible to the international business traveller by offering a live best available rate facility for accommodation during the congress.

The International Astronautical Congress will take place at the CTICC in Cape Town from the 3rd – 7th of October, and there will be a big focus on space development and investment in Africa.

Come see NASA, ESA and South Africa's very own Space Agency in Cape Town

My company, CityGuideSA, has been co-ordinating the organization of the 62nd International Astronautical Congress to be held in Cape Town from the 3 - 7 October 2011 at the CTICC since 2008.

This is the first time the congress is coming to Africa and we are expecting over 2,000 of the world's leading Space professionals, scientists, Astronauts and students including the heads of all the worlds space agencies.

The congress will be supported by a giant exhibition (almost 2,000 square meters of floor space) with all the worlds leading space companies and agencies exhibiting.

Best of all on Friday the 7 October the exhibition will be open free of charge to the public.

So come along, bring the kids and get lost in space for a few hours!

For more information on the congress visit http://www.iac2011.com

Africa to send troops, food parcels to UK as riots spread!

 

ETHIOPIA. The African Union today adopted a unilateral resolution to deploy army troops and care packages to England as looting and violence spread from London to other major cities. Spokesperson Charity Khumalo said “We can no longer stand by while these savages tear themselves apart.”


The AU, meeting today in an emergency session to discuss the ongoing rioting in the UK, has declared that they will do “everything in their power to help bring civilisation to England”.

“It’s just so sad, you know?” said Khumalo, speaking from the organisation’s HQ in Addis Ababa. “Sitting here and watching them on TV while their society implodes. We cannot in good conscience remain idle and let it happen.”

The AU has announced a range of initiatives that Africans can get involved with to help alleviate the misery of the English.

“For instance, we have launched an ‘Adopt an English child’ programme,” Khumalo explained, showing journalists brochures featuring the faces of English kids. “If you donate a mere R50 a month, you can see to it that sweet little Johnny from Peckham receives a basic education, a pack of condoms and a pair of pimpin’ Nikes.”

Khumalo also said that the AU would be parachuting in dentists along with army troops as part of a ‘Feel better about yourselves, Brits!’ initiative.

“You can understand why they’re turning on each other,” the spokesperson told journalists. “You look in the mirror and you see teeth untouched by modern dentistry. It’s heartbreaking enough to make anyone put a brick through a Starbucks.”

The organisation also plans to air-drop care packages on major UK cities.

“Vegetables, mainly,” Khumalo confirmed. “We’re sending them vegetables and toothpaste.”

The AU’s flagship event, however, will be a star-studded rock concert to be held in Johannesburg, with all proceeds going towards the establishment of mobile libraries around the UK. Artists ranging from Mafikizolo to Steve Hofmeyr have pledged to perform at the show.

“As a humanitarian, it’s the least I can do,” Hofmeyr said yesterday. “I look at those photos of the adorable little beasts knifing each other in fights over looted X-Boxes and I want to hug them and give them a nice hot cup of Milo.”

Meanwhile, the week’s events have seen terrified South Africans in London and Manchester packing their bags for home.

“This country is going to the dogs, dude,” said Werner du Preez, a gap-year student from Johannesburg. “I’ve been offered a nice little two-bedroom place in Hillbrow where I can feel safe again.”

Rest In Peace David Weltman

My Uncle David passed away today at the age of 81

A legend of a man who, along with my late Dad, embodied all that it meant to be a proper scholar and a gentleman.

A veteran of WW II (British) and Korea (Australian) he was a hard men with the softest heart!

He will forever be an example of how to hold your head up high; to face whatever may come with dignity and resolve.

LONG LIFE to all the family. M.H.D.S.R.I.P

How they choose the 50 Best Restaurants in the world

Ever wondered how they decide which are the 50 best restaurants in the world that make it onto the San Pellegrino list?

I have!




As a jaundiced consumer myself, it would not have surprized me at all if the list was bought and paid for by the restaurants themselves (with some pre-qualification, of course) or heavily influenced by it's title sponsor San Pellegrino (stock our water and get on the list).

But lo and behold, it appears to be completely legitimate!

The restaurant list is created by an "academy" of 837 people in the trade. Each region has a chairperson and each chairperson selects a 30 person voting panel "ensuring a balanced selection of chefs, restaurateurs, food/restaurant journalists and gourmands."

Each panellists are asked to name their seven best restaurants in the world in order of preference and under the following main rules:

• Voting is strictly confidential before the awards announcement on 18^th April 2011
• Panellists may vote for up to 4 restaurants within their region
• At least 3 votes must be for restaurants located outside of their region
• They must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months.
• They are not permitted to vote for restaurants they own or have an interest in
• Nominations must be made for the restaurant, not for the restaurateur or the chef
• All nominations are confidential and will not be disclosed without consent
• Panellists submit their 7 choices in order of preference (this information is used to decide on positions in the unlikely event of a tie)

For the full scoop (excuse the pun) on how they do it visit the Worlds 50 Best website: http://www.theworlds50best.com/the-academy/how-we-do-it 

By The Way - 2 of those 50 Best (2010) are right here in (near)Cape Town:
La Colombe at Constantia Uitsig was 12th
Le Quartier Francais  in Franschhoek was 31st