The knight and his lady

Libfrauenkirche, Oberwesel, Rhineland

The persistent gender pay gap

Are you getting 100%

Still earning less

Brussels, 02 March 2012 – Women still earn on average 16.4% less than men. Women across the EU continue to earn an average of 16.4% less than men, according to new figures released by the European Commission on European Equal Pay Day. This is the second Equal Pay Day at European level following its launch by the European Commission on 5 March 2011 (see IP/11/255). The EU-wide event marks the extra number of days that women must work to match the amount of money earned by men. The European Commission wants to raise awareness about this gender pay gap across the EU. This year’s Equal Pay Day focuses in particular on employers and comes ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March. Read more

Watch the video:

The wedding

On 19th March, Charlie and Eimear got married. The location: De Opstal, a tourist complex near Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo.

Bride and Groom

De Opstal was a centre consisting of a huge restauraunt, swimming pool, beautiful grounds and gardens – and a number of guest chalets. It was ideal for the clan gathering from across South Africa and the rest of the world for the big occasion.

In Cape Town, we met up with other wedding tourists from Ireland and from further afield. We visited Boulders Beach (where the penguins are), some beautiful vinyards, and the Cape of Good Hope. Then we drove to Oudtshoorn, through the spectacular scenery of the Klein Karoo, for the wedding.

After further touring the Karoo, we turned south, towards Wilderness, on the Indian Ocean. Then – back to Cape Town.

South African landscapes - gallery

From Cape Town, we took a plane to Nelspruit, gateway to the Kruger National Park and our safari . That story is told in this post.
Finally, a flight back to Cape Town and then, back to Europe.

South Africa Safari

Lions feeding on buffalo kill

Sabi Sands: Nottens Bush Camp

Nottens is a private game lodge in the Sabi Sands game reserve. The reserve is unfenced from Kruger National Park, so that wildlife passes unobstructed between the Sabi Sands reserve and Kruger proper.

At Nottens, we saw lions, leopards and African wild dogs, as well as elephants, buffalo, Hyenas and more. Two male lions, who stole a buffalo kill from a lioness, provided numerous opportunities to photograph, at close range  (“close range” meaning two or three meters away, sitting in an open jeep without roof or sides). They had no intention of leaving that carcass as long as it afforded a meal! We also saw a couple of leopards, and the a pack of the the endangered African wild dog.

Without the more intensive tracking provided at Nottens, and the possibility of going off-road through the bush, we would not have seen these animals. We did not see them again, during our stay in Kruger proper, with the exception of one lion at rather a long distance.

Kruger National Park

A pair of black-backed jackals, Kruger

In Kruger, the standard game lodges organise game drives in the early morning and evening. However, the drivers stick to the main roads and approved tracks and do not drive into the bush. Obviously, the drivers know the spots, like water holes, where animals are likely to congregate, and bring visitors past these spots on game drives.

However, it is largely a matter of luck if the animals are where they are hoped to be. Thus, spotting predators which normally are active only at night only, and usually off the beaten track, is not easy using this method.   We only saw one lion in Kruger (at a distance) and no leopards, wild dogs or, sadly, cheetahs (which we did not see anywhere).

Game viewing, Letaba Camp

Elephants, antelope, rhinos galore

We did, however, see lots of elephants, antelope, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hippos, rhinos and hyenas in Kruger. We also saw jackals in Olifants – the only place we saw them. Some of the camps, like Olifants and Letaba, offered restaurants terraces allowing you to drink a beer while watching elephants, hippos and buffalo drinking at the river below.

Baboons and monkeys: keep your doors locked!

Vervet monkey on our car

Another common sighting was vervet monkeys and baboons. Vervets are called “blouaap” or “blue monkeys” in Afrikaans (here’s why!). Monkeys often visit the camps, and watch for open car or house doors which may lead to tasty snacks. I had a slightly scary encounter with a very unafraid vervet on the veranda of my house in one camp. She determinedly made for the table I was sitting at – lured by a plate containing a few scraps. She would not be shooed away! I had to distract her by throwing the scraps into the garden (though visitors are not supposed to feed monkeys, I couldn’t see what else to do!). Another monkey tried our car doors and windows (see photo).

Male baboon showing teeth

Baboons are common also, and may attack humans to snatch anything that looks interesting. I was examined at close quarters through the car window by a large male who nonchalantly showed his very intimidating teeth.

The story of stuff

Been around for a while now, but one of the best video/animations in years. Take a run through the crazy world of production and consuming (trashing the planet while you are at it!)

Why you can’t work at work

Jason Fried explains why most of our days at the office are a waste of time.

Jason Fried: "Work doesn't happen at work"

According to Jason, an expert on work behaviour, interruptions to our creative efforts come not from external distractions like the Internet but from standard office practices. The biggest culprit is management, constantly coordinating us and checking up on what we are doing.  Meetings are the worst offenders. Most of us don’t need to be at most of the meetings we are summoned to. All this needless coordination adds up to a massive waste of time and money to any organisation.
Play video: Why work doesn’t get done in the office.

Selfless cheetah!

Is this altruism in cats?

A cheetah mother risks her life to save her cubs. Is selflessness, responsibility, protection of the vulnerable a kind of morality? Or is it something embedded in our nature through millions of years of evolution. Self-preservation is a fundamental instinct – essential to the survival of any species. But survival of the young is also essential for the survival of any species. A protective and selfless parent is just as much an evolutionary inheritance as self-preservation – so social reflexes are as inbred as selfish ones.

Related Articles

• Altruism’s Evolutionary Explanation: It’s Sexy (healthland.time.com)