The irritating new Coke slogan has been buzzing around my head for a week now, since having it rammed down my throat repeatedly at the My Cokefest press conference, and then the next day at the actual festival. There is very little that upsets me more than aggressive commercial marketing (on this sort of enormous […]
2008
Posted inLifestyle
Along the Way: The real Durban
What happens if you take a writer, a photographer and an artist, give them 30 days and set them free in the inner city of Durban? Along the Way: 10 lives, 10 portraits. An intimate book of photographic portraits and stories from 10 different people living in Durban. From a priest to a retired whaler, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Mugabe: Beginning of the end
The will of the suffering masses versus the gritty determination of Robert Mugabe to stay in power — that, in a nutshell, is the contest taking place across Zimbabwe this weekend. This time the people’s yearning for freedom appears greater than any force, including Mugabe’s desperation. It must be so. Change is in the air. […]
Posted inGeneral
Excuse me while I blame apartheid
Many white people see no just cause in blacks blaming apartheid for anything. It ended almost 14 years already; get over it already, they say. Often it is said with indignation, if not irritation, as though to say, how dare they! Those who insist we stop talking about it tell us it’s in the past, […]
Posted inBusiness
Is the rand’s decline overdone?
Is the rand overvalued in dollar terms? This graph, which compares the exchange rate for Australian dollars against the rand-dollar exchange rate, suggests that it is. The South African and Australian economies both depend on the exports of commodities, so it is not surprising that our currency and the Australian dollar have moved in tandem […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Hillary Clinton: Experience in watching genocide ignored or just lying in wait?
Christopher Hitchens launched a scathing attack on Hillary Clinton for her economy with the truth regarding a trip to Bosnia in 1996: “She’s being punished, not for one episode of ‘mis-speaking’, but a whole record of dishonesty. In Bosnian terms it’s more disgraceful than many remember. In 1992, Bill Clinton ran against George Bush Snr […]
Posted inLifestyle
Other people’s bathrooms: Weird pleasures part II
The idea for this blog hit me as I sat catching up on my emails at an internet café somewhere in Roodepoort a few weeks ago. For some weird reason I found myself rubbing my hands in glee at the mere thought that I was reading my emails from someone else’s PC. I know; this […]
Posted inNews/Politics
If a Mugabe victory is deemed rigged, how should Thabo Mbeki respond?
This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: If a Mugabe victory is deemed rigged, how should Thabo Mbeki respond?
Posted inLifestyle
Boston Legal. It’s brilliant
This seems to be the week of effusive praise. Have you watched Boston Legal? If not, may I suggest putting your computer to sleep (it’s environmentally friendlier) and heading down to your local DVD store to hire a series of it? Guaranteed, you won’t be able to do anything but watch it (and laugh, snort […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Sowetan opinion poll a mini-referendum on Zuma and arms deal?
Yesterday, although it may still be up, the Sowetan ran an opinion poll that posed the following question: “Do you think that people/organisations who received kickbacks in the arms deal should receive amnesty?” The result at the time of writing, with just more than 1 100 votes cast, was 56,87% against and 43,12% in favour. One […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why we must boycott the Olympics
Before considering a few arguments on why a boycott is obligatory, let’s be clear about why this is not yet happening on any significant scale. There are, I think, at least two broad reasons. The most pivotal has to do with the ambivalent attitude of power towards human rights and the other with the inherent […]
Posted inTech
A man who helped me dream
“Having done several thousand interviews in all media, I’m now completely fed up with talking (even about myself). Everything anyone needs to know will be found in my own writings … ” February 8 1999 It’s a sweltering day in what is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the known universe. Three-wheeled taxis […]