Myth busting
Myth: Albert Einstein did not fail mathematics in school, as is commonly believed.
Truth: Upon being shown a column claiming this fact, Einstein said “I never failed in mathematics... Before I was 15 I had mastered differential and integral calculus.”
Myth: Searing meat does not ‘seal in’ moisture
Truth: Searing of the meat may actually cause meat to lose moisture. Generally, the value in searing meat is that it creates a brown crust with a rich flavour.
Myth: The Great Wall of China is the only human-made object visible from the Moon.
Truth: The city lights on the night side are easily visible from the moon but the Great Wall of China starts to disappear from sight from only 300 km up.
Myth: Speed kills.
Truth: If speed alone was the cause of death, all aircraft would have been death traps. However, it is true that if we all reverted back to donkey carts that there would be fewer deaths on the road. ‘Speed kills’ seems to be a slogan to justify making money from motorists in a very easy way rather than try and make an effort in getting the taxi drivers under control.
Myth: Global warming.
Truth: It does not really matter if this is a myth or not. It does not really matter if some people are getting rich from ‘global warming’. ‘Global warming’ has done more to make people aware of the pollution of our planet than any other single issue raised in the past. At last some companies are being forced to reduce their carbon footprint, use energy more efficiently and generally leave our planet in an acceptable state for our children and their children.
Myth: It is not a question of what the SAIMC can do for you, but what you can do for the SAIMC.
Truth: The SAIMC has implemented a few plans to serve you better. The only problem is that it is for the most part a self-help organisation.
However, there are a few places where the SAIMC is contributing towards your well-being without you having to do anything:
* We have implemented a website to which you can contribute as well as obtain answers to questions about the industry, technology and professional registration. You never have to work alone.
* We answer changes to legislation to ensure that your qualifications will still be valid tomorrow and that you will be able to do your job without getting somebody else to sign off all your work.
* We discuss training with educational institutions to ensure that your children and grandchildren will be able to fit into our industry more easily.
* We enable you to register professionally by way of CPD training courses.
There are still many items on our to-do list, but that will have to wait until 2012. In the meantime I urge everybody who has great ideas to register on our website, go to the Forum > Council > Strategy and let your voice be heard.
Vacation
Many of us will be taking leave over this Christmas period. May you have a safe journey and come back revitalised for the work that lies ahead in 2012. Ina and I would like to wish each and every one a blessed Christmas and may 2012 bring you the desires of your heart as you continue on your way through this life. In the greater scheme of this, our time on earth is short but worth every second. Make the most of it.
To the Committees: I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful work you have done this year. We had our differences but as they say: “If everybody agrees only one person is doing the thinking”.
To the families of the committees: I would like to thank your families for putting up with your participation in the SAIMC. Without your support the SAIMC would not have been able to look back on a very successful year in which all three of our targets were reached – well, we are still working on one and that is the First Lego League trailer that still needs some modifications to accommodate all the equipment.
| Tel: | +27 11 312 2445 |
| Email: | ina@saimc.co.za |
| www: | www.saimc.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about SAIMC |
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