My day has been all about delightful products from East Asia. I’m a long-time fan of Buldak 2x Spicy noodles. How could that get better? Try 3x Spicy. I think this is now the hottest instant ramen on Earth. I love it. My guts will hate it - which, if you think about it, makes a nice change from when people hate them. The Buldak mascot, Hochi, is openly weeping on the packet. Good times.
WRT what’s been going on in South Africa, I’m pretty optimistic that this might be the wake up call the government needs to realise what could really happen if they just leave people in absolute poverty. It’s time to finally implement the basic, universal grant we’ve been talking about since the early ’90s. People need the means for basic survival. And with that might also come the possibility of building something better - harnessing the massive capabilities of normal South Africans that are usually spent just staying alive. COVID wasn’t the big pandemic. It’s the wake up call. These riots weren’t the big ‘76 moment - which is not to diminish the harm and fear they caused to people were caught up in them. They were also the wake up call. In both cases, what we do in response will determine whether the big one happens.