I’m one of those people who know which side of the fence they’re on on pretty much every topic they’ve come into contact with. So now that I am conflicted, I don’t really know what to do with myself, and it’s rather troubling. And all because of a man called David Benjamin. David Benjamin is […]
2009
Posted inGeneral
Rugby’s ninjas: The All Blacks will be back
The rugby world was recently rocked by a turn of events that screams of realism, the art of carrying a bigger stick than the other guy. The Springboks, the current world champions (which we love bragging about to the consternation of our Kiwi cousins) have always been a team that has bucketloads of potential but […]
Posted inLifestyle
Happy birthday, Boeta Robbie
Robbie Jansen, legendary Cape Town jazz saxophonist, flautist and singer, turns 60 today (August 5 2009) … and I am fortunate to pay tribute to this musical great while he is still alive. These days it is quite sad to see Jansen perform with his ever-present oxygen tank. He still tries to hit the high […]
Posted inTech
So I’ve gone cold turkey on Facebook
So I’ve deactivated my Facebook profile. The 339 people who included me in their networks of friends may or may not have noticed that I’ve simply vanished. Gone. And it’s wonderful. I thought I’d be devastated, as though a limb had suddenly been removed, but I feel liberated. A new person. Perhaps this is how […]
Posted inGeneral
Coaching not for the greats
“My qualities are not good enough for Ajax,” uttered Marco van Basten, one of the best strikers to ever grace the soccer pitch when he resigned from his job less than 12 months after taking over the coaching reins at his boyhood club Ajax Amsterdam. A few days earlier across the border in Germany, Jurgen […]
Posted inGeneral
Johnny Clegg, the famous British singer
Hold the phone! That’s not true. Or is it? I read today the Brits are trying to claim Johnny Clegg from us. The BBC had an article titled: “Ten famous Britons you’ve probably never heard of”. And there he was, number ten on the list. Ok, granted, he was born in the UK. But does […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Public protector missing the point on Oilgate
The central finding made by His Lordship Judge Ntsikelelo Poswa in his ruling which set aside the 2005 report on the “Oilgate scandal” was that the Public Protector (PP), Advocate Lawrence Mushwana, had failed/refused to investigate certain allegations and drew conclusions without launching a proper probe upon which to base them. In essence that the […]
Posted inTech
Regulatory rot
As communications technology becomes more complex and regulatory processes more dense, Icasa is in more of a mess than ever. Walking into the Sandton offices of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) tells you more than you need to know about the regulator. There are dead flowers at reception and the distinct smell […]
Posted inLifestyle
What makes somebody interesting? (Or boring?)
Do you consider yourself interesting? A good conversationalist, perhaps? Someone others enjoy talking to? The other day I was bemoaning the relentless dullness of so many of the people I meet — especially young women — and I started to wonder what makes people interesting. Dinner party-worthy, say. Or not. I work in an industry […]
Posted inGeneral
Male circumcision: Women’s rights getting the chop?
By Jennifer Thorpe Male circumcision has been linked to the decreased transmission and contraction of HIV for men. It is being celebrated by scientists as an almost too obvious answer in the struggle to decrease HIV transmission. In South Africa, a country steeped in cultural and traditional ties to circumcision while at the same time […]
Posted inLifestyle
SA’s addiction to addiction
By Warren Whitfield According to the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stats: Drug use in South Africa is double the world norm. South Africans consume more alcohol every year than anyone else in the world. About 15% of South Africans are “problem drug users”. The Northern Cape has highest incidence of foetal […]
Posted inGeneral
The financial crisis and rise of pseudo-socialists
In Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy Joseph Schumpeter makes an observation that may prove rather sobering for the pseudo-socialist peddlers of “vulgarised Marxism”. He says The Communist Manifesto is “an account nothing short of glowing of the achievements of capitalism”. Karl Marx noted that the bourgeoisie “accomplished wonders far surpassing Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts and Gothic […]