Cool Content

The Evolution of Genius

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:56:21 +0100

From the Apple of Newton to Jobs’ Apple, the world’s greatest minds in a nutshell.

Filming on the Edge - Human Planet

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:46:52 +0100

For two decades Dale Templar has produced and directed factual and wildlife films in the remotest corners of the planet. Now, with a 20-strong team, she’s making the first ever landmark series about the animal she loves most: the human being. But humans can be the most challenging creatures of all… When I first heard whispers that a series called Human Planet was about to be commissioned I got chills up my spine. This was a series that had been waiting to happen for a very long time. For...

Broadway’s Longest Running Musical

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:29:26 +0100

Having played to more than 100 million people in 149 cities around the world, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is arguably the most popular musical of all time, experiencing sell-out seasons around the world. The Broadway production became the longest running show ever on Broadway when it overtook Cats with its 7 486th performance in 2006. It is now in its 23rd year on Broadway! If you have never experienced it, The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical...

Stats, Facts and Funnies - Your issue 11 tit-bits

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:04:38 +0100

Brother, Brother! One day a zookeeper noticed that the orangutan was reading two books — the Bible and Darwin's: The Origin of Species. Curious he asked the ape, "Why are you reading both those books"? "Well," said the orangutan, "I just wanted to know if I was my brother's keeper or my keeper's brother." Over and Out The Darwin Awards — an award ceremony that commemorates individuals who protect our gene pool by removing themselves through stupidity — awarded their 2011 trophy ...

Moving Forward

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:58:04 +0100

Considering where we have come from, look how far we have come. Here we are in 2012, and while the world is discovering more and more about our ancient past, we also need to consider where we are headed. Here are five top trends for 2012 — a mere moment in the grander evolution of things.

Reader Snapshots

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:42:43 +0100

Check out these cool pics that our loyal readers snapped up whilst on holiday:

Beware of the dog

Snapped by Paul Bartho while on holiday in the Kruger National Park. Paul’s comment: “The picture speaks for itself!”

Junk In A Trunk?

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:39:51 +0100

In January this year, an amazing treasure was discovered, or rather rediscovered, at Royal Holloway, University of London. For more than 160 years a treasure trove of Darwin’s fossils lay forgotten in a dusty cabinet.

Ode To A Living Legend

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:01:43 +0100

Living legends are few, like Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, and in the twilight of their lives it is wonderful that they can sit back and absorb all the love and admiration they deserve. And then there is Sir David Attenborough, another living legend but one that is certainly not sitting back and basking in his own glory. To find the world’s most distinguished naturalist, you will need to climb a mountain, burrow through a snow tunnel or wade through a sea of penguins. At 86-years old,...

Children in the Wilderness

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:02:37 +0100

The late Whitney Houston once sang that she believed the children are the future. She urged us all to teach them well and let them lead the way. Wilderness Safaris staff share these same sentiments, and their Children in the Wilderness initiative has not only touched 4 065 young lives, but has also inspired a better future for Africa’s National Parks as a whole. As news channels, talk radio and Facebook pages worldwide are filled with heartbreaking tales and shocking images of bloodied rhi...

The long and short of Evolution

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:50:04 +0100

My friend Tony has a problem. He likes this girl, see, and call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think it can work. Not in this society. They’re too different, and I don’t mean their interests or levels of education. I mean on a more biological level. Tony calls me a bigot but I don’t care. “Your kind doesn’t belong with her kind,” I told him just recently. “It’s a crime against nature.” “It’s happening more and more these days,” he said. “I dream of a future ...

Reality TV Fever

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:16:04 +0100

Reality TV’s explosion in global popularity started in 2000, with the success of Big Brother and Survivor but the concept was not a new one. The genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television programming. It made its debut in 1948 with Allen Funt's hugely successful Candid Camera and the genre gained momentum in the ‘50s - after all, what are game shows if not Reality TV? Today there are at least three television channels devoted exclusively to reality tele...

National Geographic Photographs: Then and Now

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:12:40 +0100

National Geographic began publication in 1888, which means for more than a hundred years their photographers have travelled to the most fascinating ends of the earth creating a century’s worth of records of our changing world. Now, taken from National Geographic's vast archives, this dazzling volume takes readers to every part of our planet, showing us what has changed and what has stayed the same. Published in 1998, Photographs: Then and Now displays past and present side by side in a rem...

Coca-Cola through the Ages

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:05:26 +0100

In 1886, Atlanta Georgia passed a short-lived law prohibiting the sale and manufacture of alcohol. In response, a pharmacist named Dr. John Pemberton created a fake wine, mixing together fruit flavours with kola nut extracts (caffeine) and coca leaves (cocaine). He then added carbonated water to the green syrup, dispensed it via soda fountains and sold it for five cents a glass. At the time it was believed to cure hangovers and headaches. Thirteen years later two businessmen from the city of Chat...

PhotoTribe Archive

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:45:48 +0100

Browse the PhotoTribe archive and checkout some of the most amazing photographs as submitted by our users and featured in past issues of Gtribe Magazine. To submit your own photos to our user gallery click here.

Best news bits of 2011: The Ins, The Outs, The Ups and Downs of a world gone MAD!

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:41:07 +0100

The Best of: IN In: Le club royale! This was the year of not just one royal wedding but three! Kate Middleton set a record in April when more than 13 billion people worldwide tuned into see her wed Britain’s Prince William. Then Zara Philips (Prince William’s cousin) married her English rugby captain, Mike Tindall, in a more low-key ceremony held in Edinburgh. And finally, over in Monaco, South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock apparently attempted two desperate escapes before she sobbed h...

Stats, Facts and Funnies - Issue 10

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:30:18 +0100

The Best Jokes We Heard This Year: 1. My neighbour knocked on my door at 2.30 this morning! Can you believe that – 2.30am?! Luckily for him I was still up playing my bagpipes. 2. Paddy says, “Mick, I’m thinking of buying a Labrador. “Really?” asks Mick. “Have you seen how many of their owners go blind?” 3. I saw a poor old lady fall over today on the ice! ...

The Best of a Decade, 2001 – 2011 (Best selling author)

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:35:28 +0100

Best Selling Author of the Decade It’s hardly a surprise that Mrs Harry Potter aka JK Rowling, tops the list of best-selling authors. In fact, Rowling has written seven of this decade’s top 10 bestsellers, which boast a combined sales value of £215 million (R2.7 billion)! It only took five years for the British author to go from living on welfare to being a self-made multi-millionaire – and many eloquent paupers have tried to follow in her broomstick’s slipstream. In 1990, the idea o...

The Best of a Decade, 2001 – 2011 (Best Movie of the Decade)

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:31:38 +0100

Best Movie of the Decade 3D movies with their inflated movie rates, coupled by inflation in general and the significant increase of movie tickets as a whole means that the “highest grossing movies of all time” usually end up as the more recent films of our time – not an accurate indication of best movie. With these considerations in place, Avatar, with its $2 billion profit, whipped the “highest-grossing” title away from Titanic, and, more recently, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow...

The Best of a Decade, 2001 – 2011 (Best music video)

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:28:46 +0100

Best Music Video of the Decade Okay, so Justin Bieber may hold the YouTube record for most hits, but Beyoncé Knowles’s Single Ladies video not only scored more than 145 million hits and three million downloads, it has also been credited as having started the first major dance craze and garnered the most spoofs by celebrities. Single Ladies dominated the charts to become the singer’s highest-selling song of all time....

The Best of a Decade, 2001 – 2011 (Best invention)

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:25:37 +0100

Best Invention of The Decade

If “liking”, “defriending” and “poking” are not part of your daily vocabulary, then where the hell have you been? Facebook is not just a website, it’s a worldwide phenomenon that has had a hand in marriages, divorces, promotions, dismissals and even overthrowing of governments!

No Fracking Way!

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:25:07 +0100

What is Hydraulic Fracturing and why can we not allow this process to proceed in the sensitive, precious and picturesque Karoo? Why and who is proposing fracking and are South Africans aware of fracking and its potential impending risks? David Devo Oosthuizen looks into the issue. These days few can dispute mankind is in dire need of alternative, renewable and sustainable energy sources. Few can moreover argue the necessity for energy development that does not come at the adverse auxiliary cost ...

Best of All Time

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:19:03 +0100

Jimi Hendrix’s legacy lives on nearly half a century after his death, which is clear by his recent naming as “The Best Guitarist of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine. The star of Woodstock and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performed in a number of bands during his lifetime, the most well known being The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He also pioneered the use of feedback and distortion in his music....

The Worst Best Man Ever

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:15:59 +0100

In New Jersey, a husband-to-be became suspicious that his fiancé was cheating on him, so in the weeks leading up to their big day he hired a private investigator who confirmed his suspicions. Nevertheless the very expensive wedding went on and 200 guests watched the “happy” couple tie the knot.

The Book of The World’s Best

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:47:33 +0100

The Guinness Book of Records (today simply called Guinness World Records) is not just a global institution, it’s a record-breaker in its own right! Gord Laws takes a closer at the book’s rich history... It’s 1 September 2004, and we’re in Istanbul, Turkey. A man called Ilker Yilmaz is carefully and methodically snorting half a cup of milk into his left nostril. With his nose full of full-cream goodness, he blocks it with his finger and proceeds to slowly peel down his left eyelid. With a...

The World’s Best-ish

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:47:36 +0100

“I don’t want to be the best,” said Porky Withers, ripping open a plastic packet of pink Vienna sausages with his teeth. “I want to be the best of the best.” “Then you do want to be the best.”“No, better than that.”“But the best is the guy better than everyone else. ‘Best of the best’ is kind of a meaningless statement, because anyone you’re better than can’t be the best.”“Okay, okay, fine,” said Porky Withers. “Then I just want to be the best.”...

The Bear-able Life of Grylls

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:35:04 +0100

When Edward Michael Grylls was born in 1974, his big sister nicknamed him Bear. Today Bear Grylls has become a household name worldwide as Britain’s ultimate adventurer and survival expert. He’s also the youngest person ever to be made chief scout, taking responsibility for more than 30 million scouts around the world. Oh, he also eats really revolting stuff. Donna Verrydt chats to this living legend.We’ve watched you devour raw goat testicles and drink intestinal fluid from the bowel of a ...

All the Stats, Facts and Funnies from Issue 9

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:18:30 +0100

Absinth minded! Towards the end of his life, Vincent van Gogh used a large amount of yellow in his paintings. A common misconception was that he was colour blind, but the truth is that he was born with epilepsy treated it with an herb called digitalis his entire life. His constant use of digitalis combined with his love of absinth saw him decline into madness, and eventually he perceived the world around him to be a collage of yellow hues and dots. ...

Blue Smarties! Since When?

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:45:13 +0100

Something very strange happened the other day, as I was receiving a handful of Smarties from a neighbourhood 12-year-old I’d caught trying to steal a cat. The handful just didn’t look right. “When did they start making blue Smarties?” I wondered aloud.“They’ve always made blue Smarties,” said the kid, but if there’s one thing I know about kids, it’s that they lie. They also break things, don’t meet deadlines, steal cats and eat ice cream without getting fat, but mainly they li...

Broken Windows, Painted Walls – the Let’s Colour Project

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:10:22 +0100

What may be just a smashed window or a graffiti wall to you is actually a sign to the community in which they exist, a sign that nobody cares, so it’s open season for vandals and defacers. Dulux understands the power of colour and is inspiring and uplifting communities around the world through its Let’s Colour Project. Donna Verrydt pulls on an overall and brushes through the details…Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani became a national hero when he adopted the “broken windows” theory �...

Most Colourful Neighbourhood

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:50:58 +0100

Wandering through the streets of the Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, is like stepping into a colouring book. Rows of houses, one block after the other, are painted a myriad of pinks, oranges, lime greens, yellows and turquoise. Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, this multicultural area is tucked into the fold of signal hill and is well known for its steep cobblestone streets, beautiful mosques and lively community – and for the rows of brightly coloured houses, of course!...

A Human Work of Art

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:48:58 +0100

Seventy-four-year-old Isobel Varley has 93 percent of her body covered in tattoos. She is the Guinness Book of World Records’s most tattooed senior woman. Varley got her first tattoo in 1986 at a tattoo convention at the Hammersmith Palais at the age of 49. According to Guinness, Varley had more than 300 designs inked over a 20-year period. Varley reports, “The only areas not completely tattooed are my face, the soles of my feet, my ears and some areas on my hands.”This, er, colourful cha...

The Best Selling Toy in History

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:47:23 +0100

Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik wanted to create a working model to help explain three-dimensional geometry to his students, but he ended up inventing the world’s best-selling toy instead.The Rubik’s Cube became a worldwide phenomenon in 1980. Today, more than 300 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide – so many, in fact, that if all the cubes were placed on top of each other it would be enough to reach the North Pole from the South Pole!...

The Blue Man Group

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:44:11 +0100

They’re bald, and they’re blue’tiful, and they have managed to attract more than 17 million people to their show – a visually stunning performance that combines music, comedy and multimedia theatrics.The trio boasts characteristic “blue skin”, which is grease paint and takes more than an hour to apply to their bodies, heads and faces. No patch of skin is left, er, unblued! The paint never actually dries, which is what gives the blue men their distinct wet gooey look throughout the sho...

Put Foot for fun and funds

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:59:24 +0100

Seven thousand kilometers, seven Southern African countries, seven check point parties, 17 days… and more school shoes than one can count! Welcome to the highlights of the Put Foot Rally 2011 – as told by adventure filmmaker, photographer and Put Foot 2011 contestant Andrew King. What is the Put Foot Rally?The Put Foot Rally was designed by ex British army soldier Daryn Hillhouse to encourage people to hit the road and explore our African continent, to party at several check points and to do ...

Too Green For Greenpeace

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:11:16 +0100

Depending on who you’re talking to, Captain Paul Watson is either a hero at the forefront of an urgent mission to save the planet or an eco-terrorist. Either way, his efforts to enforce “direct action” against poachers, whalers and polluters are nothing if not proactive, writes Gord Laws...He goes by “Captain” Paul Watson, even though officially, he’s never actually held a licence to captain a maritime vessel. He’s also dubbed himself “Admiral” of the now-international nature-co...

Code Green - The Envy of Eric Roberts

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:41:48 +0100

The list of envious celebrity siblings living in the shadows of their more successful brothers and sisters is long, and the gap between different ends of the same gene pool is often more of a chasm than a short hop.Stephen Baldwin, for example, has always come off as the runt of the litter amongst three brothers who’ve all achieved varying-but-impressive levels of success.Then there’s Sylvester Stallone’s musician brother, Frank, who, despite achieving a hit single in 1983 when he contribut...

Code Blue - The Depression of Mel Gibson

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:37:54 +0100

For a man who once famously screamed, “They can take my life but cannot take my freedom!” it’s sad that his real-life freedom has in fact been taken by manic depression. Mel Gibsons’ chronic bout of the blues is so bad, it’s seen the legend fall hard from entertainment grace.In 1979, a handsome young Australian actor named Mel Gibson became a star almost everywhere in the world after Mad Max hit cinemas. It wasn’t until 1981, though, when its sequel triumphed in America that Gibson be...

Code Yellow - The sunny side of Will Smith

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:34:16 +0100

“Now this is the story, all about how, my life got flipped, turned upside down!” This line is from one of the most famous theme songs ever (that of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), and it marks the start of Will Smith’s very long and successful career – one of the reasons the 42-year-old megastar is eternally happy.On the emotional colour wheel, yellow – just like other colours – has both positive and negative attributes. On the one hand, it represents cowardice. But on the other, yellow...

Code Red - The Rage of Charlie Sheen

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:16:06 +0100

Ask any self-respecting flower child, and they’ll tell you that colours say a lot about a person’s state of mind and even their character. All colours have traditional emotional associations, and their hue and intensity can indicate whether you should cosy up or run a mile. Gord Laws analyses four Hollywood big-wigs who best personify red, blue, green and yellow! To some, red is the colour of love and romance, and it’s to this end that Valentine’s Day loving individuals are exploited by r...

Living the life more colourful

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:26:32 +0100

Remember the movie Cool Runnings? It was all about an aspiring bobsled team from Jamaica — the humour obviously in the irony that Jamaica is not really prone to snow.This irony exists in real life South Africa too and there is nothing funny about the unbelievable achievements of 15-year old Luke Dutton.Luke is not just a student at Kearsney College, he is also the South African snowboard champion, in both the men’s and junior men’s division!...

Win with Gtribe!

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 08:25:06 +0100

Once again, our Hip City Guide is giving away some awesome prizes from our reviewed locations. To enter, simply tick the checkbox for the competitions you'd like to enter (you can enter all if you like), enter your details and submit! Scroll down the page to see what prizes are up for grabs...Good luck! 4 CAPE TOWN :Alexander Bar: A bottle of Sterhuis Blanc de Blanc MCC (retail price R225) JOBURG Lucky Bean Restuarant: R500 Voucher DURBAN Bellevue Cafe: Dinner or ...

Some Trivia to baffle the brain (Issue 8)

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:22:31 +0100

1. Adolf Who?At the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany 1939, Adolf Hitler promoted his Aryan race policy by stressing how inferior ethnic Africans were. He was therefore slightly annoyed when Jesse Owens, a black American athlete, won four gold medals. The Olympic committee insisted Hitler greet every medalist, but Hitler opted to greet none instead. But it wasn’t Hitler who offended Owens at all. On his return to the USA, Owens said, “Hitler didn't snub me—it was FDR (Franklin D Roosevelt) w...

A Year in The Wild

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:22:56 +0100

Scott Ramsay has a dream. In June 2011 he will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. He and his crew of photographers and filmmakers will start their year in the wild. A conservation story that Scott hopes will reach the nation through all forms of media. Donna Verrydt chats to this Knight in green armor.

For the love of the Boks

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:22:06 +0100

In September the Springboks will embark on a mission to defend their Rugby World Cup crown. If they’re successful, they’ll be the first team in the history of the tournament to do so. But there are more than a few concerns over the state of Springbok rugby, the possible squad, the form of key players and the likely game plan coach Peter de Villiers will use. Springbok legends James Small and Mark Andrews – two guys who know all about winning World Cups – pull no punches in their assessmen...

Soul Surfer

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:30:49 +0100

Let’s consider for a moment exactly how long 14 feet really is. To put it into context, 14 feet is the length of a small fishing boat, two Smart cars parked bumper to bumper and, more terrifyingly, the giant tiger shark that tore 13-year-old surfer Bethany Hamilton’s arm from her body. Donna Verrydt takes inspiration from the youngster who inspired a movie – and the entire world.The water was already warm even though it was only seven in the morning. Bethany Hamilton lay languidly on her bo...

Bad Blood: Andre vs “That German”

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:30:15 +0100

When discussing great tennis rivalries, most people would usually associate Andre Agassi with Pete Sampras, and Boris Becker with Stefan Edberg. But, since publishing his highly controversial autobiography, Open, in 2009, it has emerged that Andre Agassi’s deepest loathing was directed toward legendary German tennis pro, Boris Becker.Both men are, justifiably, icons of the game. Becker was a dominant pro for 15 years, held the number-one ranking and won six grand-slam titles. Not too shabby, He...

Bad Blood: Adam vs The Teammate

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:24:25 +0100

It’s February 23, 2002, and revered Aussie wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist has just played the innings of his life. At the time, his undefeated 204 off just 212 balls is the fastest double-century in test-match history. The knock also served as a massive exclamation-point in a series of thrashings dealt to South Africa at the hands of our bitter Australian rivals. Australia, who’d been patiently waiting for Gilly to reach his 200, declared shortly after. As Gilchrist made his way off the ...

Piet vs The Ref

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:20:42 +0100

The rivalry between South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks is one of the fiercest in world sport. Since 1921, the two rugby powerhouses have been bitterly scrapping it out on the field and off, with the All Blacks winning 45 of the two nations’ 81 test clashes. South Africa has won 33, amongst three draws.New Zealand frustrates SA like no other. And the All Blacks struggle in World Cups. This often manifests itself in bitter hatred amongst fans from both rugby-obsessed natio...

Bad Blood: Eric vs the fan

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:16:06 +0100

Sport. It’s the tester of skill, the promoter of triumph and the unifier of people around the world… most of the time! Other times, it’s a green-headed monster than leaves broken noses, damanged egos and broken hearts in its wake. Gord Laws looks into the bad blood running through the veins of sport history.It’s the mid-Nineties, and English football is in the infancy of a revolution. One which will, in time, bring ludicrous amounts of money and global adoration to the English game.Two ...

Cheers Ryk Neethling

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:42:50 +0100

Move over fragrances, personalised wines are the latest trend in celebville. Many an actor (Paul Newman), athlete (Ernie Els) and band (The Parlotones) have jumped on the wine barrel and slapped their name on a label, ready for consumption at every good time. Unfortunately critics have often judged celeb wines as below-average blends, and a growing shadow of scepticism has emerged. Nevertheless, South African Olympic gold medal winner, Ryk Neethling, has offically joined the ranks of ‘winemaker...

George Foreman: From Boxer to Griller

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:39:19 +0100

Nicknamed ‘Big George’, the former two time heavyweight boxing champion was once quoted as saying, “I want to keep fighting because it is the only thing that keeps me out of the hamburger joints. If I don't fight, I'll eat this planet.” George Foreman went on to become the oldest man to win the world heavyweight title. From the moment George began training for his comeback fight in 1987, he was aware of the benefits of eating healthier and ultimately put his ultimate victory — becoming...

Bullfighter goes Armani

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:36:57 +0100

Celebrity Spanish bullfighter Cayetano Rivera Ordonez doesn’t just take his sport seriously, he takes his style seriously too. The 34-year-old, who comes from a long line of famous bullfighters, is also a Giorgio Armani fashion model. Cayetano featured in the exclusive ‘Hand Made to-Measure’ Armani ad campaign in 2007, joining other celebrities from the sporting world who have worked with the designer, including British soccer player David Beckham. “Cayetano has that quiet, sophisticat...

Bjorn Borg – An Ace in Underwear

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:28:54 +0100

In the tighty-whitey world of average undies, The Björn Borg Collection is serving it up in straight sets. Yes, the Swedish tennis legend who was once ranked #1 in the world, with 11 single Grand Slam titles behind his name, is now the founder of an international underwear company. The Bjorn Borg men and women’s ranges include a wild offering of creative designs. Think checks, bright stripes and bold prints. There’s even a neon tennis ball design – rather fitting considering the man behind...

Barefoot and Bowling!

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:04:11 +0100

Traditionally, lawn bowls is perceived as a geriatric (apologies) day out — but not the way Gtribe does it! On 22 May 2011, Gtribe and Voltaren hosted an “Extreme Barefoot Bowls” day at the Bryanston Sports Club in Johannesburg. The aim was to raise money for the Little Leaps School for autistic children — and the turnout was amazing!The day was clearly not about age. Our entrants ranged four-years old to almost 70 — all out to have a little fun. Teams were made up of three players ...

Lunatic Olympics

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:33:43 +0100

It’s amazing, and also frightening, what boredom and alcohol can inspire. We asked the Tribe if they’ve ever created their own sport on a boozy occasion? The following are our silliest three:Skim CricketCaptain: Gord LawsAim: To make the most points and get drunk.How it works: Unlike traditional cricket, a batsman stands at the edge of a swimming pool with his bat. The bowler bowls a very worn tennis ball across the pool, bouncing it off the water at the speed of sound. Everyone face an over ...

Olympic Spotting!

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:27:50 +0100

What do you do when your country is in the worst recession since World War II and you’re expected to deliver an Olympic Opening Ceremony of epic proportions, on a shoestring? You hire the master of low budget and high-yield. You hire Danny Boyle — the Oscar award-winning director of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire.As if it’s not exciting enough that British film director Danny Boyle was recently announced as the Artistic Director of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, but ...

Move over, Corrie

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:21:12 +0100

My buddy Yash has a strategy for fixing the mental frailties of the South African cricket team.“We already have a strategy,” I told him. “The strategy is we keep on calling them chokers and reminding them that they always choke, and we keep doing it until they stop choking.”“But isn’t that the same strategy the Australians used against us, except they did it to make sure we did keep choking?”“So?”“So if you want a certain result, why would you continue doing something that has...

Book review: Blade Runner

Thu, 26 May 2011 14:20:32 +0100

Known as “the fastest man on no legs”, Oscar Pistorius is one of the most gifted sportsmen on the planet. His inspirational autobiography, Blade Runner, documents his extraordinary development from immobilised child to world-class sprinter. The young South African born without fibula had both his legs amputated at 11 months.

Chappies bubblegum (brand review)

Thu, 26 May 2011 13:54:35 +0100

SA’s best loved bubblegum brand was created in the late 1940s by Arthur Ginsburg, who produced the iconic product in an aim to challenge Wicks, the only single-piece chewing gum on the market at the time. Today Arthur is an 85-year-old who lives in Killarney, Johannesburg. He retired from the confectionery business some 20 years ago. But the small coloured squares in their distinctive yellow wrappers with blue and red stripes and chipmunk head are still going strong. Back in the day, everyone c...

The Bang Bang Club (movie review)

Thu, 26 May 2011 13:51:27 +0100

A gripping true-life drama based on the experiences of four young combat photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa. Fuelled by adrenaline and moral outrage, Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe), Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch), Ken Oosterbroek (Frank Rautenbach) and João Silva (Neels van Jaarsveld) made sure the world saw the violence that ripped through the streets of South Africa.

What would you do?

Thu, 26 May 2011 13:45:51 +0100

Faced with a life-or-death situation, what would you do? Mountaineer Aron Ralston chose life but had to sacrifice an arm – and became an instant superhero in the process.After being trapped by a boulder in an isolated canyon, mountaineer Aron Ralston, alone and miles from civilisation, began to contemplate the unthinkable. He realised he would have to cut off his own arm for any chance of survival. And so he did. Aron’s remarkable tale became world news, then a bestselling book and now a majo...

Rock-It Man aka Mick Jagger

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:26:41 +0100

If you could choose any job and lifestyle you desired, what would you choose? Famous author? Rocket scientist? Astronaut? Nobel Peace Prize winner? Not me. I’d be a bloody rock ’n roll star!Think of your job description: fly around the world in a private jet, complete with fully stocked bar, adoring groupies and fans at the airport, throwing themselves at you as you slide into your stretch limo. Supermodels for girlfriends, lackeys to fulfil your every whim, and of course millions of dollars ...

Snow White and the recessive gene

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:15:29 +0100

As traditional African legend has it, the white lion is a child of the sun god, sent to earth in a star to protect all of humankind. So the question is, if these lion were sent to protect humans, why are humans killing them? Donna Verrydt travelled to Legend’s Wildlife Centre in the Waterberg to meet the wonderful people who are protecting the white lions.I gasped! I hadn’t expected to see the lion right there, but as we came around the corner I was confronted by her giant face, as white as d...

The Incredibles

Tue, 24 May 2011 11:40:31 +0100

As every Pixar fan knows, The Incredibles is an animated movie about an over-achieving superhero family, each member possessing a superpower. When contemplating the real-life Incredibles, this accolade could only go to the Smiths: that is Will, Jada, Jaden and Willow. Daddy Will not only played Hancock, a superhero bum who saves the world, but he’s actually a superpower in Hollywood, commanding more than $20 million a movie....

Lame Name

Tue, 24 May 2011 11:36:05 +0100

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare asks, “What’s in a name?” When it comes to superheroes, the answer is everything. Superheroes have not only inspired kids for generations but have also raked in mega-bucks through comic-book sales, movie tickets and merchandising. With this in mind you’d think the creators of these heroes would put a little more thought into their names.Take The Thing, for example. This has to be the most clear-cut example of pure laziness. Surely this chunky member of the...

The Dolphin Boy

Tue, 24 May 2011 10:34:07 +0100

On 19 January 2009 one of the most remarkable human beings who ever lived lost his battle with cancer. This 16-year-old boy taught himself the art of echolocation – and subsequently learnt to see with his ears. This is the story of Ben Underwood, aka the Dolphin Boy. A master at video games, fearless on skates and an excellent shot at basketball, Ben Underwood was a regular teenager – except for the fact that he was completely blind in both eyes. To help him “see”, Ben made click...

Aquaman aka Charles Clover

Tue, 10 May 2011 15:45:17 +0100

Picture it, if you will. It’s the year 2048. We live in a world in crisis. Gangs of starved humans roam the plains, looking for food. The systematic decimation of the oceans means that the one in five humans who depend on fish as their primary source of protein are now overburdening food resources on earth. There’s not enough to feed everyone. Mass starvation is imminent.The first fish to go were the blue-fin tuna, depleted by the increase in Western demand for trendy sushi. The rest of the t...

Algorithman aka Larry Page

Tue, 10 May 2011 15:43:17 +0100

He only draws $1 a year as his personal salary even though he heads up a company that made $29 billion in 2010. Unlike most of us mere mortals who spent their time at university learning how to make bongs and beer funnels, he spent his education exploring the mathematical properties of the World Wide Web. He started a research project, which he named “BackRub”, that ended up being the most sophisticated search engine ever made. He is the co-founder and recently appointed CEO of Google, the wo...

The Talladega Knight aka Will Ferrell

Tue, 10 May 2011 14:48:54 +0100

Two Nascar vehicles round a corner at high speed. Car one, driven by the villain of the piece, swerves and forces car two against the side railing, causing it to smash and flip into the air. Cut to close-up of the driver of car two, one Ricky Bobby, who says pragmatically: “Yep. I’m flying through the air. This is not good.”There follows a crash scene of epic proportions: a full 44 seconds of tumbling, smashing, metal-crunching mayhem.When the car eventually comes to a halt and Ricky Bobby ...