Wits secured their place in the Varsity Cup next year with a hard-fought 19-17 victory over defending Varsity Shield champions, CUT, in a dramatic final played in Bloemfontein last night. Their victory promotes them to the high stakes Varsity Cup next year!
Fellow South Africans, the word is in! Don’t think that people being jailed for hate speech online is something that only happens overseas. According to a South African legal expert, we too can be prosecuted for “cyber smearing,” which can mean fines or even jail should you be caught. More on minding your netiquette, after the jump!
April Fool pranks played by people tend to be either cruel or embarrassing. April Fool pranks played by tech companies, however, are charming and endearing attempts at being funny for one day every year – and this year’s haul of PR stunts is actually pretty good. Check them out after the jump.
Nobel Peace laureate, Aung Sun Suu Kyi has hailed “the beginning of a new era” in Myanmar’s (also known as Burma) politics after her party claimed a spectacular 43 out of 44 parliamentary seats in a historic by-election yesterday.
So! The British Home Office announced yesterday that new legislation will soon allow the government to monitor the calls, emails, texts and website visits of every single person in the UK. The Home Office then had to clarify that, no, this was not some sort of elaborate April Fools prank.
Man, it must be nice having the second-highest GDP per capita in the world, like Qatar does. That way you can afford to kit out your police force with an entire fleet of deeply sexy Porsche and VW vehicles, which you can send out on parades whenever you feel like it. Like in this insane video.
Canvasses by lauded South African artists such as Irma Stern, William Kentridge, Gerard Sekoto and Francois Krige fetched over R3.5 million at an auction at Bonhams of London last week, highlighting a significant appreciation of interest in work by South African artists. We’ve got the full list of big sellers after the jump!
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, recently charged for involvement in a prostitution ring, is also being accused of raping a hotel housekeeper – and since he seems to be losing that whole prostitution thing, he’s had his lawyers try to dismiss the case because his former position as head of the International Monetary Fund gives him “absolute immunity.”
Check out this short documentary about a young Malawian called William Kamkwamba who built a windmill out of scraps and saved his family, and then ultimately his village, when famine and destitution threatened to destroy them. Real African success stories like this are hard to find, and this one is nothing short of extraordinary.
Last month we told you about Nevada legalising self-driving cars. But how do they work exactly? Check out this video of Google’s self-driving Toyota Prius being “driven” by a guy that is 95% blind.
Check out this amazing gallery of shots taken of U.S. Servicemen about to ship out to serve in Afghanistan. Despite the risks, and the promises that the U.S. and NATO role in the conflict is due to end within two years, hundreds of troops are being shipped into Afghanistan each month to help secure the civilian population and the post-Taliban government there.
An blog post allegedly featuring the residential address of George Zimmerman – the man who killed Trayvon Martin – has gone viral. The post went viral after it was retweeted by Spike Lee to his 250 000 followers. Unfortunately, the address actually belongs to an innocent elderly couple, who now live in fear.
Woolworths South Africa has earned the Almighty’s ire, not to mention that of dozens of their (former) Christian customers on Facebook, by besmirching their delicious, fruity hot cross bun packages with Halaal certifications. If it’s not soft drinks, it’s holy baked goods! Have they no shame?! Full details of this outrage after the jump!
Regular readers will be aware that we’ve been ardent fans of Danny MacAskill here at 2oceansVibe for years. We are now however proud to present to you an Australian, Andrew Dickey, who could arguably be as good as Danny. You’ll enjoy his skills.
Still don’t get why the iPad is the best tablet out there? Then check out this presentation by two Swedish magicians – their use of seven iPads, along with some old-fashioned trickery, should clear things up for you. Bucket loads of amazing are waiting for you – after the jump.
The City of New York’s Education Department has issued a list of about 50 English words and topics that will no longer appear on standardised tests for fear of offending students’ sensibilities. Unfortunately for them, when you accommodate an entire world of cultures in a single city, students’ sensibilities become a very broad category to cover indeed! Full list of this insanity inside!
The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory has partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to launch what will arguably become the most extensive online archive of Nelson Mandela’s life. The free global access to photos, videos, letters and personal documents about his life and times will continue to expand as people across the world add their memorabilia to the archive.
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has spent the last three years slaving away at a massively insane internet-only, 44-song concept record, called Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. That album now includes an “album within an album” called Oceania, which will be released via traditional record-label channels, with EMI on June 19. Check out the epic title track below.
A Welsh university student has been jailed for 56 days for a “racially-aggravated public order offence” after making offensive tweets about Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed with heart failure during a FA cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur on March 17. See the full Twitter feed, after the jump.
Iconic amplifier company Marshall has expanded into selling people drums and headphones over the past couple of years – and now they’ve announced a mini-fridge that looks like an amp on the outside, but has an inside made to hold dozens of cold beverages. Shut up and take my money.
Less than a week after Helen Zille’s latest Twitter-storm about comments she made about the state of education here in the Western Cape versus the same in our neighbours – she called students from the Eastern Cape who attend school here “refugees” – she has gotten all up in the ANC’s grille once more with fresh comments regarding the state of health here versus there.
Ever since the first person flung themselves from a life-threatening height only to be saved by a stretchy cord or a makeshift parachute, thrillseekers have constantly sought to push the limits of extreme sports. A new promotional video for the Mini JCW Countryman takes things to the next level. Think car + human kite. Click through for the video.
Toronto’s Deadmau5 has been blasting Madonna on his Facebook page for asking folks at the Miami Ultra Music Festival if they’ve seen “molly,” which is young-person speak for MDMA. Deadmau5 moved from slating Madonna’s embarrassing use of drug slang to a spiel about equating electro with drug use – with a couple of tasteful expletives thrown in.
Despite a lull in tension, all is still not well in sleepy Grabouw. Residents are still at each others throats over the apparent discrimination in the administration of local school facilities. So much so, that the Presidency has taken an unusual step to actually do something about it. More of this alleged good governance after the jump!
Wine tastings. To state the bleeding amputated and mangled obvious, wine tastings are generally the best places to learn about wine if you don’t have an overflowing bank account, or an incredibly well stocked cellar. I can’t recommend going to tastings strongly enough if you are keen to broaden your vinous horizons. That being said, I thought I would give you a little guide of what not to do when you are there. For the most part, the parameters extend to everyday life, and can be summed up neatly as “don’t be a douche”.
Inevitably, at some point during reality TV talent show auditions, a heavyset and/or ugly contestant will walk onto stage and be greeted with ridicule and laughter. But then said contestant opens his/her mouth, and everyone – including Simon Cowell – starts to cheer and cry hysterically. Step inside for that magical moment.
From the creators of the awesome Braaiday parody comes another cult hit. Offering a rare glimpse into the daily experiences of the brave souls who put their lives on the line to protect our cars, Derick Watts and The Sunday Blues pay tribute to car guards everywhere. Click through for the video.
The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tuscon, Arizona recently launched a 14-metre long paper aeroplane, in world record attempt. Because that’s the kind of stuff you have to do to get press when you’re an Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Check the launch after the jump.
A Hout Bay shop owner faces legal action from world famous Italian design house, Dolce & Gabbana, over her alleged “misuse” of the Italian brand by calling her small gift store, Dolce and Banana. Italian sense of humour FAIL!
6’1′ bombshell, Jenna Talackova of Vancouver was disqualified from the Donald Trump-owned Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant for “not meeting the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form,” according to competition officials. By which they mean she was disqualified for being born with male genitalia.