If you’ve been following my recent moans on the lack of party! party! in Grahamstown, you will be happy to know that I am far more satiated today than I was a few days ago. Maybe my friends have gotten cooler, maybe I’ve become a bit less demanding, maybe I’m just desperate to be able […]
2009
Posted inNews/Politics
It’s the Johnnie Carson Show, featuring Bob Mugabe
Whenever things get a bit dull and dreary in sub-Saharan Africa don’t despair because everyone’s favourite Uncle Bob is just five minutes away from another classic encounter. This one, for me, was by far his funniest because I had seen the build-up in the early hours of the morning. Let’s start at the beginning. As […]
Posted inGeneral
‘Primacy’ my ass: The ICC’s semantic coup
By Adam Wakefield The old adage states “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”. David Morgan, the ICC president, recently said that Test cricket could or would undergo serious changes by the time the clock strikes 12 and 2010 becomes 2011. This statement emerged from the background of what has now become a cliché in […]
Posted inNews/Politics
China’s race for nuclear energy
The Chinese economy is in desperate need for energy to keep it growing. With power shortages and blackouts as well as a growing demand for electricity, the Chinese government is looking for new energy sources and nuclear energy stands at the top of the list. The rapid pace of China’s nuclear energy growth is emphasised […]
Posted inGeneral
Has Fergie lost his marbles? I highly doubt it!
It’s been most amusing hearing various reactions to Michael Owen’s surprise switch to Old Trafford. Be it Liverpool fans fuming at the thought of their former idol wearing the red of the “Mancs”, to United fans who are scratching their head at Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest transfer punt. If you believe some, Fergie only bought […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma needs to call time on ‘nationalisation’ talk
When African National Congress Youth League President Julius Malema first raised the issue of nationalising the mines at the opening of the ANCYL political school in Krugersdorp, very few people took the matter seriously. On the one hand ANC General Secretary Gwede Mantashe moved quickly to clarify the position ie that it was not part […]
Posted inGeneral
Why are the Brits paying to maintain our war graves?
The good news regarding my recent visit to the Anglo-Boer War battlefields around Ladysmith is that the numerous military cemeteries scattered around there are in remarkably good condition. The bad news is that the UK, through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, is to a very large extent paying for it. “So let them pay”, I […]
Posted inGeneral
I think I’m missing something
After three nights and almost three days at the festival, the cosy crimson-lit evenings that trail into the early hours around golden goblets and feast laden tables — which I thought would be every night — are yet to happen. And it’s like they say — if it hasn’t happened by 11pm, it’s not going […]
Posted inLifestyle
If nuclear power is so great, why aren’t we doing it?
By Roger Diamond My last article generated some good discussion, including some vehement pro-nuclear commentators who reckoned I should climb back into my time capsule and go back to the 1980s. This post aims to point out the merits of such time travel! Firstly, if nuclear power is so great, why is it not being […]
Posted inGeneral
How much for the dead guy?
By David J Smith How much is a human life worth? What is the value of a person? Now I am not talking about some metaphysical value, a moral measure of the human soul. This is not a question for the amateur philosophers or the local vicar. This is a question for the accountants, the […]
Posted inGeneral
No man is bigger than the club
We have seen time and again at Old Trafford that no man is bigger than the club. Players have come and gone and it’s been clear that there’s no room for egos. The only ego that counts and is allowed is Sir Alex Ferguson’s. Ferguson has said that Manchester United is a phenomenon that is […]
Posted inLifestyle
The night it all began
The National Arts Festival has kicked off. More like, started a brisk walk. I managed to see through my first day in the town I almost studied in. I am excited, and yet a little weirded out at being in the place that I was this close to spending four years of my life in. […]