You may have noticed that I have a new profile pic up. Frankly, I was sick of the old one. It was taken five years ago and I’d hate you to think I’m one of those people who keep using a photo from nineteenvoetsek even though I’ve become grotesquely fat and wrinkled in the interim. […]
2010
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Dear denialists, I must apologise
You see, in my previous post I grievously underestimated how many climate change sceptics there are among Thought Leader readers. Perhaps my calling those sceptics “dim-witted” drew them out from their exhaust fumes. I’m not sure. But the point is, I must apologise: not for the insult, but for unwittingly creating the impression that there […]
Posted inGender violence
Raped by ‘consent’
When you define rape as occuring when someone does not consent to sex, instead of when coercive circumstances are involved, you enter a minefield of confusion and definition that is extremely harmful to the rape survivor.
Posted inLifestyle
Schools of our Future: What skills are needed?
Where does traditional schooling fail the requirements of modern developed society. A modern society is differentiated by it’s dependence on being inter-dependent on each and every other thing. Therefore the core needs of this society shift from external measurement of products and success to internal human values of discerning thinking, community, empowerment and team work. […]
Posted inGeneral
Five perfect stars for Microsoft’s Office 2010
At first glance, Microsoft needs to make a very convincing argument to make people take note of Office 2010. After all, it’s just another release of Office. Just about anyone would agree that Microsoft Office is by far the most feature-rich productivity suite out there, but this great advantage also makes it very difficult […]
Posted inGeneral
But I wake up at 4am, ma’am
By Robyn Clark It was 4am when it started. First, there were just the sounds of bare feet along the corridor of the dormitory. In a matter of minutes, there was a flurry of activity in the girls’ bathroom, as steam poured out of the bathroom door. There were shrieks and shouts emanating from the […]
Posted inGeneral
Do we need open source vendors?
By Muggie van Staden One of the biggest misconceptions about open source software (OSS) in the enterprise is that it is software that can be rolled out without the involvement of a vendor. But in reality, in any enterprise software deployment, there will always be someone that needs to play the role that the vendor […]
Posted inGeneral
Why football offers us the best model of governing our world
By Millington Gumbo A couple of things intrigue me in life. Politics is one, history is another, but it is football which trumps them all. Football is the ultimate meritocracy wherein skills and teamwork and not money or privilege determine the outcome. Life however, can be a little bit more complicated at times. The it-is-not-what-you-know-but-who-you-know […]
Posted inBusiness
The lies they tell: Banks and travel insurance
Yest (Saturday) my purse was stolen @ Rome Termini shortly before I boarded a train for Salerno, Italy. I have no money + 5 biscuits until my Mastercard is replaced on Wednesday. I disc the theft on t train when I wanted to buy tea + a sandwich. By 11.13 my branch had stopped my […]
Posted inNews/Politics
A heterosexist ANCYL: One boyfriend, one girlfriend
Like the ANCYL says, multiple concurrent partners are certainly not “fashionable” these days. HIV has made them decidedly untrendy. One thing that apparently is fashionable, however, and is getting a lot of southern African support, is homophobia. And polygamy. Goodness, that one is really hitting the headlines these days. The YL believe that Zuma is […]
Posted inLifestyle
Post-Modern Hippie Communalism
But I digress. It felt even more hippie-esque considering the total absence of any furniture beyond the bare necessities residing in the kitchen. The dinners on a mattress in the living room and ashtrays on the floor accompanied by constantly refilled wine glasses and philosophical musings stand out as memorable experiences thus far. It has […]
Posted inGeneral
Social Media 101
Social media is almost as ubiquitous as the cellular phone (if it isn’t, it will be soon). The widespread ease of setting up your business in the social universe and the inherent low cost in doing so, has spawned many attempts both successful and some not so — by businesses trying to harness the power […]