ZILLE MALEMA MARRY

So the Democratic Alliance and ANC Youth League are to be marry.

Both the parties of botoxified Helen Zille and perivai (loudmouth) Malema are united in antipathy to the proposed Gauteng toll fees.

At 20 centes a kilometre the premise that motorists cough up for a government f-up is absurd. Especially considering the motorist with a motor plan is already heavily taxed.

Whatever gave the ANC govt who got our vote last elections the notion they could befriend us with this extra toll fee is beyond me.

If anything they could have saved their situation by building the costs into our tax payments if the coffers were unable to support the billions of rands SANRAL says it needs in road refurbishments.

The toll fees to the man on the street appear sinister. Shame on you Sbu Ndebele and team. It's about time we the citizens placed our lot behind the militant Julius Malema's ANC Youth League and - Lord forgive me for saying so - the party of the whingeing white liberals, the Democratic Alliance.

SUNDAY SIZZLE

Vovo Telo has heathy but enjoyable meals at 44 on Stanley, Millpark, Auckland Park close to the SABC where Isidingo's being shot. Amazingly ensconced in the middle of a drab-looking area are boutique stores and luxury dining areas. The ciabatta is divine so are the teas brewed in your pot from tea leaves. I opted for breakast at noon: eggs and salmon on bread. 

SAFFRON TV

Rocky and Mayur are two oily-looking men in search of fast cuisine in any part of India in Highway on my Plate. I am watching them shortly before noon, SA, GMT on Saffron TV an Avusa owned channel on DStv Indian, 456. There's no programme guide or start and finish times. As the info says: "in consequence of the fact that the channel has not provided a schedule, MultiChoice is unable to provide EPG information on this channel".

Ouch, the sign has been here for more than a week now so don't be surprised if the chasm between the channel and platform provider gets wider and you suddenly see Saffron migrating to TopTV which co-incidentally has three North and one South Indian Channel for R60 and Zee cinema as part of the general bouquet. (Like only 75% off the DStv price).

And so the internet reveals Highway on My Plate guys are starring in the first season of Jai Hind with a focus on the armed forces. This indicates we could see much action from these foodies. Not just mouth action.

Thrown in on this episode of the NDTV-made show on Saffron is the cuisine: raw salad, rotis, dhall, raj maal. Under tents with the men and the women of the Airforce Academy. Getting down and dirty as they generally do the food looks appetising but the locale as per usual diarrhea-inducing. Pass the lomotil.

SONY ASIA

Slipping into high revv on set Sony Entertainment Television (Asia) at 12 noon on channel 450 is Dostana, which sees Bollywood come of age with a gay-themed flick. Kiron Kher's mother character (Mrs Archarya) accepts the dishy Kunal Chauhan (John Abrahams, seen above left with Priyanka Chopra sandwiching Abishek) as a bride for her boy Sameer (Abishek) Bachchan giving him her gold bangles et al while she plays Khabi Khushie Kabhie Gham in the background. Hilarious piece of cinema in a story about friendship and citizenship a la I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

CNN

CLOSE by on channel 401 on Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN Pastor Joel Osteen (seen above with wife Victoria) tells Morgan his Christian beliefs won't allow him to condone homosexuality but he'd attend the wedding of gay friends because of his respect for the individual. The pastor with a perpetual smile on his face made an appearance to promote his new book Make Every Day A Friday. Morgan, former editor on News of the World, the newspaper exposed for tapping illegally into cellphones of the stars, can be incisive as an interviewer. Even if he comes across as inexperienced when compared to predecessor talk show dino Larry King. Give him 50 years.

TUT TUT - IT'S TUTU

SO SA has been the laughing stock of the world. Especially our national darling, the telly-tubby looking Archbishop Desmond Tutu (seen above with the Dalai Lama in happier times) with the impish grin and raucous chuckle. He turned 80 and at the St George's Cathedral in Cape Town we had Graca Machel, Kgalema Motlanthe and U2's Bono in attendance. No Dalai Lama in sight. Making the headlines on Sky News and BBC World though was the Arch unprofessionally lambasting the ANC government and praying for their downfall for refusing to let His Holiness visit him - and us.

Many believe the Dalai Lama to be a divisive political force in a peace hat. He speaks for his cause for a China-free Tibet. I don't think the Arch came across very well with his lambasting of the ANC in the manner that he did. But he still has the support of the nation especially those who remember what it is to feel like a nation under siege (from the Nats for decades). Economic imperialism rules the day though and the Chinese own quite a slice of Africa. Considering America with its trillions of dollars in Chinese debt is the bitch of that communist country; we're hardly looking different. Best wishes Arch, my China.

I ON APPLE

So sad about Steve Jobs who died midweek. This creative genius who gave us the device which spews out this blog work this blog never got to meet his real daddy, Abdul Fattah Jandali (above left); a Syrian Muslim immigrant. A political scientist turned Nevada casino boss, Jandali said his Syrian pride prevented him from meeting the son his US wife Joanne Schieble gave up for adoption. (They weren't married at the time). 

Said Jandali to a newspaper two months ago: "I honestly do not know, to this day, if Steve is aware of the fact that had it been my choice, I would have loved to keep him. I live in hope that before it is too late, he will reach out to me. Even to have just one coffee with him just once would make me a very happy man." Such was not to be. Too much, too little too late perhaps. Jobs had a great relationship with his sister Mona Simpson though. They shared the same parents. And when Jobs found the author in 1997; their relationship grew and grew. Mona made a movie about their mum Joanne, Anywhere But Here starring Susan Sarandon and Scarlett Johansson. Jobs left a legacy to the world; like fellow Syrian descendent Bob Marley. He created an empire that turned the music industry on its head with the iPod; the computer industry on its with the iMac and more lately the iPad. And the iPhone, uber sexy, needs no introduction either.

A music pirate in his youth, Jobs was a pioneering spirit the likes of which comes maybe once every generation or two. The great thing about his work - for us here in SA - is watching people slowly throw their PCs into the bin replacing them with iPads.

WE LOVE YOU AAKASH

WHILE we South Africans settle into couch potatoe-dom, waiting for the next BEE handout; India is forging ahead finding its replacement for the iPad 2. It's called the Aakash. And rumours that it was named after POST's enterprising young editor Aakash Bramdeo are just not true. At around $35 or R280 a pop the Aakash is a steal. Designed for the student market, Aakash joins the ranks of tablets made by Samsung, BlackBerry and other imitators and is 16 times cheaper than the entry level iPad2. Still I don't see pushing at the Diwali and Christmas queues.

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