I thought there must be something substantive behind the city of Cape Town’s flexing its muscles to the court order by government’s provincial arm to utilise community halls for the displacement of foreign nationals. The reasoning that the provincial government first use resources under its own care just does not sound right. Is it possible […]
2008
Posted inGeneral
Twitter, Plurk and Kwippy: Let the games begin
Twitter, Plurk and Kwippy are the micro-blogging platforms gaining the most traction among micro-blogging enthusiasts at the moment. Twitter is leading the pack with Plurk following closely behind. Kwippy is the new kid on the block, being an Indian start-up which is, at the moment, invite-only but is looking at spreading its API out to […]
Posted inGeneral
The world food crisis: intractable and explosive
In no other time during humanity’s recorded history is the savagery of market relations so paradoxically defined as in this age of plenty. We are able to transform deserts into oases, carve a path through hitherto impenetrable mountain ranges, successfully land an explorative mission to Mars. Human beings are manufactured in laboratories, the parched and […]
Posted inGeneral
John Smit to write for Sports Leader
I know I promised I would let you know about the South African Rugby Legends Association’s Legacy Parks, which I will in my next posting, but I felt it necessary to obtain a platform for the players as a priority. Without dealing with anything political, the current Springbok captain is afforded the opportunity of speaking […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle
Why is Australian clothing so expensive?
My Nokia, the South African one, bleeps to announce the arrival of another SMS. My heart sinks: another update from FNB, chirpily informing me of how much I’ve just spent on my Clicks Clubcard. I will have to be employed in Australia for at least three months before the banks will even consider approving a […]
Posted inMedia
US sport: A marketer’s dream
This weekend, I watched a cricket match. I don’t mean I joined some fellow South Africans and crammed into one of the few pubs in the city that broadcasts cricket and rugby. No, I mean I watched a live cricket game, which, in the US, is about as rare an event as hen’s teeth. It […]
Posted inGeneral
Bring back the caveman
All thanks to one David Beckham, now we can’t even tell the difference between a soccer pitch and a fashion runway. Nowadays, talent and skill are no longer a prerequisite for stardom. All you need is a good hair stylist, and you are sure to grace the back pages (and the gossip pages). It is […]
Posted inGeneral
Connecting South Africa: Communities that transcend technology
A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others […]
Posted inGeneral
Freakonomics local style: Part one
I’m in the middle of a book called Freakonomics and, as usual, when reading something that interests me, I tend to apply what the author is discussing to what’s relevant in my everyday life. One of the key points in the book refers to asking the right questions. Someone who can ask really good questions […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Liquid Zimbabwe
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called on England cricketers to boycott Zimbabwe, on Robert Mugabe to resign and on the United Nations to send in peacekeepers for the presidential run-off. South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate is in no mood to allow the violence that is destabilising the region to go on unchallenged. Captain Courageous, never […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Drinking from the half-glass: full or empty?
A critical thinking friend called St. Pee was telling me that the Million Man March (MMM) is a set up to create a buffer between the real culprits behind crime in the country and the rising anger of the ordinary citizens. “Desmond Dube should stick to what he knows best,” he said sipping his cocktail […]
Posted inGeneral
The real reason for Hamilton’s crash
Lewis Hamilton, currently driving for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 Team, confirmed that his Canadian GP crash was down to the aggressive driving techniques he had learned racing down Louis Botha Avenue, Johannesburg, South Africa. Midway through the race Hamilton slammed into the back of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari when he failed to spot a […]