Tribal Reports no.1
22 October, 23 Tishrei 5769
Contents:
1. South Africa: Is An Independent Afrikaner (Boer) State Possible?
2. Machete gangs bring fear to South Africa as they carry out mutilations for traditional medicine
3. Humor: Victoria Victorious Over Rest Of Australia
4. Financial Crisis in Iceland
5. Starkey in 'Scotland adores failure' rant
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1. South Africa: Is An Independent Afrikaner (Boer) State Possible?
http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2006/11/10/30-%E2%80%93-the-afrikaner-volkstaat/
#30 the Afrikaner Volkstaat
Extract:
"Volkstaat" is Afrikaans for People's state - the people in this case being the white South Africans who identify themselves as "Afrikaners" (mainly descendents of Dutch settlers, speaking a language derived from Dutch and considering themselves an indigenous nation in Africa).
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The idea of a "Volkstaat" came about with the end of Apartheid in 1994, when the white minority finally gave in to the black majority, and handed over the reins of power to Nelson Mandela's ANC. According to some surveys, about 30% of Afrikaners, thinking back to the independent "Boer republics" that were established in the nineteenth century to escape Britsh rule over the Cape, would like to establish a similar state where Afrikaners can rule themselves. Most South Africans (and indeed most Afrikaners) are opposed to the idea, as it is essentially racist.
A practical problem in the establishment of a "Volkstaat" is the fact that Afrikaners are quite evenly spread out over the whole of the country, nowhere forming a majority. Two small communities have been formed to be the nuclei of possible Volkstaat options. One is Orania, founded in 1991 in the West Cape, the other is Kleinfontein in Gauteng.
This map shows the proposal for a Volkstaat in the West Cape, which is sparsely populated and thus might more easily be "settled" by Volkstaters. The idea seems to have waning support among Afrikaners, however, and therefore will probably never materialise.
This map can be found here on the website of the Vryheidsfront (?Freedom Front?), a political party advocating the Volkstaat.
http://www.vryheidsfront.co.za/a/beleid_landkaart.asp
2. Machete gangs bring fear to South Africa as they carry out mutilations for traditional medicine
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/global/2008/10/17/noindex/sa.xml&source=EMC-exp_17102008
Extract:
Machete-wielding gangs in South Africa are mutilating young people to provide body parts for the traditional medicine market, an investigation has found.
The practice has brought terror to parts of South Africa, where it is estimated that at least 300 people are killed each year for the medicine, known as muti.
One victim was Fortune Khumalo, a boy of nine, who was attacked as he relieved himself in bushes.
His attacker sliced off his penis and testicles to sell to a traditional healer in Johannesburg, where body parts can fetch #250 and a human head up to #500, according to the research for Channel 4's Unreported World.
Fortune survived the attack but is in constant pain because his family cannot afford the reconstructive surgery he needs. His assailant was caught with the boy's genitalia wrapped in a towel in his pocket.
Special superintendent Gerard Labuschagne, an expert on ritual killings, said traditional healers are behind the killings, prescribing body parts to patients and hiring men to go out and find them.
Human genitals are the most prized parts and can be used to attract wealth and increase fertility.
Many muti murders go unreported but Supt Labuschagne admitted that even those which are reported may not be fully investigated.
"An investigative officer tasked to deal with this might be a bit hesitant because of his own traditional beliefs," he said.
3. Humor:
#236 - Victoria Victorious Over Rest Of Australia
http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/01/
Extract:
This parody map shows Victoria taking over the largest part of the country, pushing all other states to the periphery of the island-continent. Victorians, it appears, hold a lot of records, including "World's most generous people", "World's best beer", "World's woolliest sheep" and even "World's highest taxes". The other states are markedly less attractive.
4. Financial Crisis in Iceland
From: "O.Shane Balloun" <o.shane@gmail.com>
Subject: Icelandic banks
Joseph, in a phrase of terrible foolishness, is nationalizing banking (which will do untold future harm in America and the world) instead of rightly letting banks fail for unwise actions. Now, he is hurting his own brother, Benjamin for his own sake, employing anti-terror laws to seize assets from Iceland.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2008/
gb20081013_932189.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+index+page
_top+stories
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=
20601109&sid=aVFtDRGwcc50&refer=home
Icelandic Shoppers Splurge as Currency Woes Reduce Food Imports
By Chad Thomas
Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- After a four-year spending spree, Icelanders are flooding the supermarkets one last time, stocking up on food as the collapse of the banking system threatens to cut the island off from imports.
``We have had crazy days for a week now,'' said Johannes Smari Oluffsson, manager of the Bonus discount grocery store in Reykjavik's main shopping center. ``Sales have doubled.''
Bonus, a nationwide chain, has stock at its warehouse for about two weeks. After that, the shelves will start emptying unless it can get access to foreign currency, the 22-year-old manager said, standing in a walk-in fridge filled with meat products, among the few goods on sale produced locally.
Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed and the government abandoned an attempt to peg the exchange rate. Many banks won't trade the krona and suppliers from abroad are demanding payment in advance. The government has asked banks to prioritize foreign currency transactions for essentials such as food, drugs and oil.
The crisis is already hitting clothing retailers. A short walk from Bonus in the capital's Kringlan shopping center, Ragnhildur Anna Jonsdottir, 38, owner of the Next Plc clothing store, said she can't get any foreign currency to pay for incoming shipments and, even if she could, the exchange rate would be prohibitively high.
``We aren't getting new shipments in, as we normally do once a week,'' Jonsdottir said. ``This is the third week that we haven't had any shipments.''
Bankrupt
Iceland's 320,000 inhabitants have enjoyed four years of economic growth in excess of 4 percent as banks and businesses expanded abroad, buying up companies from brokerages to West Ham United soccer club. Now, the three biggest banks, Kaupthing Bank hf, Landsbanki Island hf and Glitnir Bank hf have collapsed under the weight of about $61 billion in debts, 12 times the size of the economy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The central bank, or Sedlabanki, ditched its attempt to peg the krona to a basket of currencies on Oct. 9, after just two days, citing ``insufficient support'' in the market. Nordea Bank AB, the biggest Scandinavian lender, said the same day that the krona hadn't been traded on the spot market, while the last quoted price was 340 per euro, compared with 122 a month ago.
``There is absolutely no currency in the country today to import,'' said Andres Magnusson, chief executive officer of the Icelandic Federation of Trade and Services in Reykjavik. ``The only way we can solve this problem is to get the IMF into the country.''
Imports Dependency
The International Monetary Fund sent a delegation to the island last week. Prime Minister Geir Haarde said on Oct. 9 his country may ask it for money after failing to get ``the response that we felt that we should be able to get'' from European governments and central banks. The state will also start talks with Russia over a possible 4 billion-euro ($5.5 billion) loan.
Iceland's rugged, treeless terrain, a barren stretch of volcanic rock, geysers and moss, means the country imports most food, other than meat, fish and dairy products.
Magnusson said last week that one of Iceland's largest supermarket chains was unable to get any foreign currency to make purchases abroad and another retailer's electronic payment didn't go through. Iceland will begin to see shortages of ``regular goods'' by the end of the week if nothing changes, he said.
``We are struggling to make the economy survive from hour to hour,'' Magnusson said. ``There is an enormous amount of capital that wants to get out of the country.''
Sedlabanki told lenders on Oct. 10 that residents who want foreign currency should first prove they need the money for traveling by providing documentation for their trip.
Essential Goods
Wholesalers are demanding that importers pay before any goods are shipped, said Knutur Signarsson, head of the Reykjavik-based Federation of Icelandic Trade. Under normal circumstances, wholesalers abroad would extend credit for 30 to 90 days, he said.
``Many of them ask us to pay cash before they send the goods to Iceland,'' Signarsson said. ``Because of the situation, Iceland has become a country that no one trusts any longer.''
Bogi Thor Siguroddsson, owner of Johan Roenning, an import and retail business which has about 7 billion krona ($71 million) in annual sales, says he's instructed his purchasing managers to only import the core goods, including light bulbs, lamps and electrical cables, they need to serve their customers.
``It's enough to have the credit crisis,'' he said. ``Then you have the currency crash. Unfortunately, we have shown that we can't handle it ourselves.''
Food Inflation
Icelanders, whose per capita gross domestic product is the fifth highest in the world, according to the United Nations 2007/2008 Human Development Index, will have to tighten their belts.
Shoppers are paying more for the goods they do get. The cost of fruits and vegetables, nearly all of which are imported, have gone up about 50 percent in recent months, said Steinunn Kristinsdottir, a 33-year-old Reykjavik resident who was leaving the Bonus store with her cart full.
``This situation really has been a bit troubling for people,'' she said. ``They don't know what's going to happen.''
5. Starkey in 'Scotland adores failure' rant
http://www.scotsman.com/latestnews/Starkey-in-39Scotland-adores-failure39.4606819.jp
By Fiona Gray
THE "rudest man in Britain" yesterday turned his acid tongue on Scotland in a three-pronged attack on its history, its politics and its people.
TV historian David Starkey called Mary, Queen of Scots, "a whore and a trollop and a murderess", accused the Scots of "adoring failure", and branded the SNP "utterly contemptible".
Starkey, who rose to fame presenting historical television programmes about the lives of the Tudors, was on a radio programme, giving his thoughts on the SNP's idea of returning Mary, Queen of Scots', remains to Scotland.
He said: "It's exactly the kind of Scottish sentiment that makes the Scottish Nats' shortbread, tartaned, biscuit-tinned view of Scotland that is totally and utterly contemptible."
Starkey, who has gained a reputation for acerbic outbursts against the Queen, the BBC and Tony Blair, made the comments on Radio 2 comedy programme, Clive Anderson's Chat Room.
He added that Mary, who he said despised being queen of Scotland, would hate the idea of being returned, and that actually made her the perfect heroine for a people who "adore failure".
He said: "The only victory (Scots] have ever celebrated is Bannockburn; the rest is about wallowing in failure. They even have special music for failure ? it's called bagpipes."
The 30-minute panel show is billed as a fast-paced entertaining satirical talk show, during which opinionated panellists speak their mind about the hot topics of the day.
Although fellow panelist and journalist Eve Pollard rose to the defence of Mary, Queen of Scots, calling her the glamorous "other woman" compared with her cousin Elizabeth I, Liberal Democrat MP and Scot Charles Kennedy did not reply to Starkey's comments.
Starkey added: "The union (of England and Scotland] has always been based on mutual humour and mockery."
Starkey previously attacked Scotland in 2004, when he branded it an unimportant country until it was joined with England in the 17th century. Following his comments a motion was tabled in the Scottish Parliament condemning the historian.
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