“We’ve elected probably the most pro-gay president in history; he’s very good on the issues but he is not good on gay marriage,” said Steven Elmendorf, a gay Democratic lobbyist. “From the gay community’s perspective, he and a lot of other elected officials are wrong on this. My view is that over time, they’re going […]
2009
Posted inBusiness
Retailers, please explain: Why do food prices defy gravity?
I am getting just a little bit irritated by food retailers who shed crocodile tears over the difficulties of their cash-strapped customers, while raking in ever-increasing profits. Take, for example, Spar, which reported first-half financial results this week. Doing business in these challenging times, CEO Wayne Hook said, is a “struggle”. With double-digit food inflation […]
Posted inGeneral
Why the South African Music Awards suck
Now that the brouhaha over the South African Music Awards (Sama) at the Sun City Superbowl has died down, we can say that they were a waste of time. In fact, songstress Lira, who was presented with four major awards — including Album of the Year — should have rejected them. But that would be […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Malema vs Zille: Do we love what we hate?
Before going onto the blog, I invite readers to do a quick survey and answer, who finds the Zille-Malema slugfest: a) Entertaining b) Irresponsible politics c) An embarrassment for South Africa’s international image d) Stupid but harmless e) Destructive and creating rifts and resentments among races and parties f) Other (your opinion) Thanks. I first […]
Posted inGeneral
How to market iPhone applications
Submitted by Brendan McNulty Since two people I know are now professional iPhone developers, I’ve taken a bit of a closer look at the App Store, the iPhone and marketing of applications. There are a few things I find interesting: 1) It’s essentially a walled garden, distribution is exclusively through the App Store, so Apple […]
Posted inGeneral
Levelling the playing field
African football is entering a critical period — one that will determine whether the decision to host the World Cup on African soil for the first time was the correct one. Firstly, final preparations are now under way for the Confederations Cup, a tournament that will see hosts South Africa thrown into the deep-end with […]
Posted inGeneral
A dull final if ever there was one — not!!
And so, it boils down to this. Despite Chelsea’s vehement protests, despite the evidence and despite their defiance, really, the final of the biggest club competition will be between the champions and the entertainers. Barcelona somehow didn’t make Petr Cech make a save for all of 90 minutes on Wednesday night. But when they did […]
Posted inGeneral
Twenty20: Turning hackers into heroes since 2003
Count them. From David Warner, Graham Napier and Yusuf Pathan, right down to our own Albie Morkel and Tyrone Henderson. What do they have in common? Instant stardom on the back of the ability to hit a long ball, and not always in the prettiest way possible. Certainly not pretty in the manner of a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Zuma focused and attempting to unite SA
“We also intend to start a new chapter in relations between government and opposition. We reiterate that it should be possible to work with opposition parties on issues that are in the national interest”. (Part of president-elect Jacob Zuma’s acceptance speech) Zuma had earlier confirmed that the government’s priorities shall be those five areas targeted […]
Posted inGeneral
SA Rugby ’snookered’ by British & Irish Cup launch
A brand new 24-team British & Irish Cup will take place next year. Twelve teams from the English Championship, six from the Welsh Principality Premiership, Irish provinces Munster, Leinster and Ulster and three Scottish sides will compete for the inaugural trophy. The teams will be divided into four pools of six, playing over five weekends […]
Posted inGeneral
Are celebs killing Twitter?
Twitter is a microblogging platform that has recently grown at an incredible pace, with more than 10 million current users. It is one of those ideas that are hard to understand for someone who has not used it before (that someone can be anyone). What recently started to happen is that celebrities are pouncing at it […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Easy to sacrifice Snuki, harder to find the perfect replacement
With the rise of the Zuma era, the SABC board has decided to ditch Snuki Zikalala as head of news. At the same time, the board itself faces the strong likelihood of being ditched. Parliament has been itching to oust it ever since Thabo Mbeki was toppled from the ANC. The board members were controversially […]