Last week, the Financial Mail led with a lengthy cover story on the oil price and its implications for the South African economy. It contains some enlightening facts, but the article spends much of its time talking up the alarmist scenarios of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas.
2008
Posted inLifestyle
Are we starting to get it?
I have been on a bit of a hiatus from writing in recent times. I even went on a ‘driving nowhere slowly’ jaunt in the northern KwaZulu-Natal last week. I had meant to return with a piece about my experiences on the road. But that has to wait. In the past I have gone on […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Only thousands at Million Man March: Bad timing or lack of interest?
This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: Only thousands at Million Man March: Bad timing or lack of interest?
Posted inGeneral
Wales confront their inferiority complex, but it is not enough
Warren Gatland told the BBC last week that “we had an inferiority complex against the southern-hemisphere sides”, adding: “We spoke about it and thought we’d addressed it but were proved wrong.” Wales last beat the Springboks back in 1999 at the Millennium Stadium, but they have never beaten the Boks in South Africa or anywhere […]
Posted inGeneral
Boks face baptism by fire
14 June: Wales – 21 June: Italy – 5 July: All Blacks – 12 July: All Blacks – 19 July: Australia We all know that the real adversary to the Springboks, are the All Blacks. Games in between serve as preparation for the clash of the two titans of international rugby. Peter de Villiers will […]
Posted inGeneral
MWeb sale a signal of change
The announcement last week that Naspers has put MWeb up for auction created a stir of surprise, but not shock. Is the decision by Naspers to sell MWeb a vote of no confidence in the internet? Hardly. If anything, it declares the opposite: a recognition that the internet has become so pervasive that its best […]
Posted inGeneral
Euro 2008: A nascent classic?
So with one round of the Euro Championships gone, the time for hype has died and everyone have put down their markers. The big guns seem to be back in full force to avenge the utter humiliation of Euro 2004 and this is shaping up to be a classic tournament. I would imagine the betting […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The Aussie politician who keeps her enemies in the freezer
One of my next projects, once I’ve finished the third and final volume of the South African Insult series (The Revenge of the South African Insult, which will feature a black cover with glow-in-the-dark writing), is an examination of the Australian insult. It’s a daunting task, and not just because it means reading many Australian […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Who owns your mind?
I go face to face with Wadim Schreiner for the inside scoop on agenda setting and the battle for control of your brain. Schreiner is a specialist media analyst and the MD of Media Tenor South Africa and partner in Media Tenor International (Switzerland). He decodes and analyses media trends and interprets the media agenda […]
Posted inGeneral
My Tech Leader wishlist
Ah, my first, long overdue, Tech Leader post. To start off, thanks to Matt and team for the opportunity and the innovative “X” Leader initiatives that are certainly changing the shape of our media landscape. Thought Leader has been a great success, Tech Leader is here and, more recently, Sports Leader has hit the scene. […]
Posted inGeneral
What if Robert Mugabe was white?
I want you to close your eyes and imagine for a moment that Zimbabwe was being ruled by Robert Mugabe, the duly elected white, rather than black, president. Everything else must remain exactly the same as it is right now. The overwhelming majority of Zimbabwe’s population remains black, the murder and torture continues, the destroyed […]
Posted inGeneral
The coach’s corner
Hello from a surprisingly overcast Johannesburg. For some reason we seem to take this weather with us. We had it in Somerset West for our training camp, and then the first part of the week in Bloem. It’s meant a few of us are fighting the flu, but hey, if that’s our only complaint things […]