Are you a nationalist gardener? Do you plant water-wise indigenous plants representing our diverse and beautiful flora? Plants and nationalism are not a subject that has come in for much attention in academia. Which is a pity, because there would be fertile ground for research into the discursive construction of responsible, morally appropriate indigenous gardening […]
2008
Posted inNews/Politics
This is the way the world ends
“They were singing ‘Umshini Wam’ (Bring Me My Machine [Gun]). They came to my place and set it alight. I took my radio and ran. From a distance I watched them loot my place. I saw the sticks and panga’s. I saw my home burning. There was nothing I could do. I lost everything. Like everyone here I lost everything.”
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Four-year degree is an incredibly misguided idea
Here’s an idea. We have a problem with too many students dropping out of their degree courses — so let’s make degrees longer! Why would anyone think that would cut the dropout rate? I guess it doesn’t rate up there with, “ask not what your country can do for you…” but my new favourite quote […]
Posted inGeneral
GeekRebel guide to online TV
I don’t have a TV at home, so I consume a decent amount of bandwidth watching TV shows and YouTube videos. Here’s how I go about it getting loads of entertainment without a DsTV subscription: 1. StumbleVideo: I don’t spend that much time on YouTube itself. Rather, I watch video clips on StumbleVideo. StumbleVideo offers […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
The wisdom of whores
Elizabeth Pisani is unlikely to make many friends in SA — especially among those in the Aids establishment. This former journalist-turned-Aids-epidemiologist has just written a book with a catchy title of The Wisdom of Whores that deals head-on with the Aids crisis and pulls no punches; she is on a warpath against the Aids industry, […]
Posted inGeneral
Whites can’t be Africans and foreigners can’t be true South Africans
Remember that song: “Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way, I can’t wait to look in the mirror, because I get better looking each day?” Have another look, maybe if you had your glasses on, put down the crack pipe and wiped away that smugness, you’d be able to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What is it about this time?
Earlier in this year, Denmark’s media came out as one person, reprinting the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. Underlying the decision to reprint these pictures, they say, is the defence of democratic rights. Let’s look at this more closely. On 12 February 2008, three men were arrested (two Tunisians and a Danish national) on suspicion […]
Posted inNews/Politics
This is our Rwanda
As Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and Nigerians are burnt, hacked, shot and beaten to death; as our country’s international stature is decimated; as thousands crowd police stations, churches and other places for safe harbour; as families are torn apart; there’s the profound realisation. This is our collective moment of shame. This is a point in history where we will be asked: “What did you do?”
Posted inNews/Politics
Fear
My Zimbabwean PhD student won’t go with me to the demonstration outside Parliament tonight because he would have to go back to Bellville on the train and he’s heard stories of someone who’s in hospital now from having been beat up on the train. My Zimbabwean friends who work in town just got warned that […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
First IKB and Northern Rock, then Bear Stearns: Who’s next?
One is tempted to leave this question unanswered to mock the conscience of those apologists of the greed driven market economy (let’s be clear: there’s nothing ‘free’ about this system), but it’s exhilirating to know they don’t have a conscience. Their only concern is ‘getting ahead’, stepping on others as they haste to ‘explain’ the […]
Posted inGeneral
Because you’re all criminals
Criminal attorneys will confirm that the question that they are most asked by the general public is: “How can you defend criminals?” It’s not that hard to answer because all of you are criminals. Yes, even you. A criminal, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “A person who has committed a crime”. In other words […]
Posted inGeneral
Xenophobia symbolic of disparities between rich and poor
Submitted by Obert Mathivha As we are still nursing the pain of Africans beating and killing each other in Kenya and Zimbabwe, the same Africans are now attacking each other in the southern part of Africa. This is a result of the state of service delivery in our country, which is below average. We are […]