The first time I see Henry, he’s tired. He’s carrying a camera case and looks punished. He’s just spent a day in the townships outside Cape Town. His bag is heavy, and he doesn’t want help. This is a theme I’ll get familiar with over the next week. Once a son of the LA Punk […]
2010
Posted inGeneral
Take back the right to sexual pleasure
Do you remember your first time? For every person this may mean something different. Some smile fondly whilst others cringe at the extreme embarrassment surrounding their “first time”. Most people immediately think of sex, but really, this isn’t the only first significant time for most people — certainly not for most women. If you’ve read […]
Posted inLifestyle
Oh ‘difference’, a reminder that you are what we say you are
By Lauren Hermanus I read (on a blog) that chicks and okes are different. I shuddered. But my shuddering was linguistically motivated. I like other colonially trained young ladies find the word, “chick”, inane. I find the invoked comparison of a female of the human species with a downy, speechless, flightless, tweeting little thing, odd. […]
Posted inGeneral
Could SA be Fifa’s ‘Plan B’ for 2014?
It’s still too early to gauge the impact that the 2010 World Cup will have on international perceptions of South Africa. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that a great deal of inaccurate and over-the-top foreign media coverage has contributed to the dip in projected foreign visitors for the month-long event. A number of initiatives have […]
Posted inGeneral
Selling online: An FNB case study and some thoughts about the future…
“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Writing this post has taken a long time (and it’s a long post). It’s one of those opinion pieces that moves dangerously between industry comment and personal insight. Add to that […]
Posted inLifestyle
When is a good day to die?
The obvious answer to this question is no day is a good day to die. Because until it is proven that the afterlife exists, with its bevy of virgins and bad-ass harp music, dead is dead. And anyway why are virgins good? Not like they put out. Reminds me of an old bumper sticker I […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why do we joke about Lolly?
Why do we respond to the news of celebrity deaths with black humour? The news about Lolly Jackson’s murder broke at around 10.30pm on Twitter last night. Within less than five minutes, the jokes started. “lolly jackson murdered … Gigi using her survivor winnings to take out the competition?” “Wow! Lolly Jackson shot only 15 […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Climate change scientists have it wrong
When scientists first began to notice changes in the world’s climate, they traced those shifts back to the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. We were told that the problem had been found — and that lowering greenhouse gas emissions would steer us into the clear. But the science is wrong. You see, climate change […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Culture evolves, polygamists haven’t
By Zuki Mqolomba Let me dare say that one cannot be a Marxist-Leninist cadre in pursuit of a non-sexist and equal society while standing in defence of a cultural practice designed intrinsically to institutionalise narrow chauvinism in postmodern South Africa. The sudden resurrection of polygamous practice amongst middle-class ranks comes in tandem with the emergence […]
Posted inLifestyle
The peanut butter model
It’s not every day you meet someone from Raleigh while travelling in Lusaka, Zambia. Dale Lewis might not have intended to spend decades in the landlocked African country of 12 million, but his passion for protecting wildlife and for conservation led him there — and his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to lift farmers from poverty while […]
Posted inGeneral
Rank outsiders with no hope
With a Fifa world ranking of 90 and the unwanted distinction of being the lowest ranked country to ever qualify for the World Cup, albeit as hosts, Bafana Bafana are possibly the worst side to ever take part in a World Cup. To point this out is not to try and demoralise a nation, but […]
Posted inLifestyle
Is God bad for you?
Are all religions like a cult? If you have a number of subscribers who believe that by following a particular way of life, and performing particular activities regularly they will be taken to some place better, and will be better people, is this madness? Should we have any faith in faith? My friends and I […]