Flame broiled goodness

You may remember in a previous post I mentioned that some dude down here in 1998 invented a car with flamethrowers on the side to help prevent carjackings. I managed to find a picture of what (I hope) was a test run. I don't know about you, but I like my carjackers a dark, crispy brown.

What's even more hilarious about this is that although doctors said this was a lethal product, the cops concluded it was perfectly legal. Man, this is one great country.

If you want to read the BBC article on this from 1998, here it is.

South Africa's Bud

This is Castle beer, which is basically South Africa's version of Bud. It's good enough that you aren't bothered by it and bad enough that it makes you think twice before ordering another one. What makes this beer dangerous is that you can get a pint for 15 Rand, which is actually just below $2 right now. If you were in the states, you'd probably say after three beers - I've spent enough money; which is probably $17 or so after tip. But here in South Africa, you can basically have three beers for the equivalent price of one top of the line beer in the US. So you say, hey, I've only paid for the equivalent of one beer, so you buy six more, and now you're absolutely plastered. Tricky, tricky Castle. In the end you make me pay just as much, and even more in the morning.

Interesting note: South Africa has the world's second largest brewery, which happens to own a number of beers you are familiar with including Miller. I won't tell you any more because no one wants to know that their elite Belgium beer is made in a giant vat down in South Africa.

Writing crappy stories and cars with flamethrowers

Yesterday I was sent out to do an absolutely beyond shitty story. Some guy here in Cape Town is marketing a new security system that sprays people with pepper spray. One of the editors got the idea after seeing the ad for it in the newspaper. After going out there I found out that the system is actually fairly well designed, but it's just another example of how freaked out people are in this country about home and business security. So I had to write the story real quickly, since I didn't get back from until 2:30. I've never written a story like this before - basically about a somewhat hairbrained product - so I wrote about as straightforward a story as I could. Today, one of the editors told me the article was too straightforward. So I rewrote it and poked fun at the pepper spray system. Then it got totally changed again by another editor. And then once more time this afternoon, another editor, reading it yet again, said the original version was too much like an advertisment. And then I was told, "Don't be surprised if this doesn't run."

Wow, what I can say. It sucks being an intern. The whole reason I was sent out on this goofball story was that back in 1998, some guy out here in South Africa devised a car that had a flame thrower on it to help stop carjackings. That would have been a much better story to say the least.

Cheap livin'

Right now here in South Africa, the Rand - which is their currency - is getting smacked. You can now get almost 8 Rand for one US dollar. And with pint sized draft beers here going for 15 Rand, I'm a happy, happy man. What's more astounding is that you can get nearly 15 Rand for one English pound. That's just nuts. There really should be more British tourists here right now, that'd be one cheap vacation.