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/ 26 August 2006

Woods leads after bizarre Firestone finish

Firestone specialist Tiger Woods took charge in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational second round on Friday, despite running up a remarkable bogey-five on his final hole. Woods, champion here four times in his last seven starts, struck the clubhouse roof with his approach to the par-four ninth and was fortunate to get a free drop before completing a six-under-par 64.

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/ 26 August 2006

Parow couple in court for burning their dog

A Parow couple who allegedly locked their pit bull terrier bitch in a wooden kennel, then set the kennel alight, appeared in the Bellville Regional Court on Friday charged with cruelty to animals. They face two charges — allegedly setting the dog, named Tammy, alight, and the deliberate or negligent failure to take the severely burnt dog to a veterinary surgeon afterwards.

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/ 26 August 2006

Hair controversy dominates British papers

Revelations that umpire Darrell Hair asked cricket’s governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a  000 pay-off to defuse the ball-tampering row with Pakistan dominated Britain’s newspapers on Saturday. Copies of the e-mails in which Hair made the request to the ICC’s umpires and referees manager, Doug Cowie, were reprinted while ex-pros and pundits gave their views.

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/ 26 August 2006

R2m – for sitting at home

North West’s beleagured agricultural department has spent almost R2-million this year on the salaries of at least five officials who are sitting at home on suspension. Four agriculture department officials have been suspended on allegations of corruption, fraud and maladministration following a forensic audit last year.

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/ 26 August 2006

Thinking out the box

The 550-bed Kimberley general hospital has won a number of awards for management and innovation, and is considered a case study in transformation. In the past six years, it has expanded from employing 38 fulltime doctors to 115, plus 40 community service doctors and 30 interns.

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/ 26 August 2006

The management-staff divide

On the day we visited Bongani Hospital in Welkom, Free State, the CEO was frantically trying to decide what to do with a R12million winning Lotto ticket after the owner had just died in the hospital. Alida Zwiegelaar was very proud that her staff had been honest enough to hand over the ticket, particularly as the owner had not signed it.

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/ 26 August 2006

The perils of gagging the press

The willingness of the courts to issue interdicts preventing newspapers from publishing has become a deeply disturbing trend. Last week’s order, obtained by MTN head Maanda Manyatshe in the Johannesburg High Court, was the third of its kind in the space of a year. Earlier, some Sunday newspapers were barred from publishing the Danish cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad, and an Oilgate report in the Mail & Guardian was blocked.

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/ 26 August 2006

Pluto, we hardly knew ye … 1930-2006

Not long after puny Pluto was stripped of its planethood, Janis Robinson started selling ”Pluto is a planet” T-shirts on the internet. Robinson, who said she ”rolled her eyes” after Pluto got the boot, hopes her buyers will send a message that kicking out the far-out rock is downright goofy.