Potential. It’s often that little bit of something that many of us possess, but never maximise. An ingredient or two that steers us in a particular direction, begging to be fostered, nurtured and ultimately acted upon. Often it’s latent ability, so obvious that to consign it to the scrapheap of “unfulfilled potential” would be a […]
2007
Posted inGeneral
Jesus is a myth: The atheism debate revisited (part two)
In my previous post I argued that the question of God’s existence is largely an unsolvable one and that, in that limited sense, we must all allow the possibility that there is such an entity in the universe (or not). Which brings me to the other big question: 2. Is the Bible true? Bundled into […]
Posted inLifestyle, Tech
Blogging Player of the Week: What a schmuck!
The first blogger I knew didn’t call himself a blogger, because the word hadn’t yet been invented. Once, in the dawn of internet time, Roy Blumenthal was at the helm of “a hare-brained art prank” called Dirty Laundry, in which he created a web page asking people to send their dirty laundry to him for […]
Posted inGeneral
Whither our children?
Let there be no doubt, the future of our children is seriously at stake. A growing social crisis in our schools and townships has engulfed the youth, particularly teenagers. While this crisis has manifested itself in diverse forms in our society it is its wide-ranging negative effects in schools across the country that demands the […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Ginwala inquiry probably illegal
If I were the legal adviser to suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli — and if my client had very deep pockets — I would immediately have lodged an application in the Constitutional Court challenging the legality of the inquiry now conducted by Frene Ginwala on behalf of President Thabo Mbeki. It seems […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Roots of our political warfare
Commentator Xolela Mangcu asked last week what Mandela would think of the current political warfare. The answer can be guessed. But there’s a more profound question to consider: How would he, and we, analyse the way democratic debate has deteriorated into devastating factionalism? One answer lies in Mbeki’s penchant for a centralist style of power. […]
Posted inTech
The geek as activist
The Geek Freedom League actually exists. Its existence was proclaimed enthusiatically by a usually mild-mannered and friendly chap, who happens to be a family member. But when he comes to open source, he becomes a militant. And like all militants, militancy requires wearing the right gear and having the right slogans. His gear of choice […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Will a single African currency succeed?
There has been much talk recently about creating a monetary union within the African Union that would lead to all members having one single currency. The question is: Would Africa benefit? I must be honest. I don’t think so — at least not right now; not within the next decade or two. There is a […]
Posted inMedia
Poena’s money: update
Ster-Kinekor’s Helen Kuun informs me that Poena Is Koning has so far taken R1,7-million at the South African box office — and that’s in 17 days. (See my previous post on the topic.) So it is indeed doing well. How that stacks up against what it cost we don’t know: filmmaker Willie Esterhuizen tells me: […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Urgent action required to mitigate damage done by Hlophe decision
The reactions, ranging from disillusionment to disgust, of the legal fraternity and the public at large to the judiciary in general and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) resulting from the latter’s decision on Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe should not be underestimated. The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that urgent action is required to mitigate […]
Posted inTech
Are you prepared for the internet of tomorrow?
Where once web users and technology each formed an independent part of the internet, something happened in recent years where the distinction between man and technology slowly disappeared, where each “realised” that the one could not successful evolve on this thing called the world wide web without the other. Enter the web of today, a […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
Che Guevara, marketing icon and Puma inspirer
“I feel sorry for the family of Che Guevara, people who knew him before he became a T-shirt.” The quote belongs to Jeremy Hardy, a British comedian, and came to memory on Tuesday when I saw a few dozen teenagers march in Buenos Aires to commemorate the 40 anniversary of the death of the famed […]