By Melanie Bala The day dawned bright and clear and with a little apprehension I set off for Newtown to attend a Qiniso Dialogues session hosted by the Mail & Guardian and Gordon Institute of Business Science. On seeing a few familiar faces (my fellow Twitterati) I did what people normally do and hung out […]
2011
Posted inNews/Politics
Berlusconi falls: Is Zuma next?
The downfall of Silvio Berlusconi leaves Jacob Zuma the sole custodian of an exclusive club of self-made, charismatic populists with persistent legal issues. Not to mention leaving no-one to send him pyjamas! “There’s not really much difference between Zuma and Berlusconi,” emailed my friend Christiaan. “Both are dogged by allegations of corruption and sexual exploits. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Challenging the narrative in Israel/Palestine
Next week, a group of young Palestinians will board Israeli settler buses in the West Bank with the intention of traveling to East Jerusalem. The activists will likely be greeted by fully armed Israeli settlers, as well as soldiers. The threat of Israeli violence has not deterred Palestinians who maintain that they are prepared to […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Dr Murray guilty but bail refusal an aberration
The verdict of guilty of involuntary manslaughter delivered by the jury in the People of the State of California v Dr Conrad Robert Murray is, in my humble opinion, the correct one. The decision by Judge Michael Pastor to deny Murray bail pending sentencing and appeal is however an aberration without any basis therefore. Let’s […]
Posted inMedia
How objective is the media?
By Ryan Peter The media continues to be under the spotlight, not just locally but also in the US where questions about objectivity are moving to the forefront. Perhaps if there is anywhere in the world where these questions must be asked it’s in the US where, in my opinion, so much of the media […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Famine babies, compassion fatigue and the media
By Sandra Banjac The first time we are confronted by an image of a malnourished child we are crippled by guilt and deliberate over ways to help. The second time we see the same type of image we pause, ponder and then flip the page. The third time we turn the page without second thought. […]
Posted inLifestyle
You eat lamb, duck and chicken. So why not horse?
It was a great piece of television. These don’t occur often. Generally, we adopt a lazy posture and zombify in groups while ill-qualified thieves called executive producers steal our IQs, point by point. This was different. The item pressed my button, and asked me down a rabbit hole. There was a woman with a long […]
Posted inGeneral
Dewani trial: Why none of the stories makes sense
Dan Newling, a Cape based journalist who writes for the UK Daily Mail, has taken an in-depth look at the murder of Anni Dewani while she was on honeymoon in Cape Town during 2010. The article, which includes substantial details of the events leading up to the murder, includes a number of compelling questions which […]
Posted inGeneral
Rome, Caravaggio, St Matthew and money
Today I saw one of the most beautiful and profound paintings I have ever had the privilege to behold. It is Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s The Calling of St Matthew (1602), in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. Even if we had not travelled here to participate in one of the wonderfully […]
Posted inLifestyle
Holding American imperialism at bay
Diatribes against American cultural imperialism would be more convincing if the victims tried, just a little, to resist it. Instead they swoon before it, much like the heroines in Mills & Boon romances used to melt with feigned reluctance before the forceful attentions of the dark and handsome stranger. Take October 31, a date that […]
Posted inGeneral
Hubris, the Lions’ worst enemy
The Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) has finished the year in an exceptional manner. After an underwhelming Super 15, where the team didn’t win a single home game, the Lions surprised the South African rugby community by winning the Currie Cup last month, and in some style. Ellis Park (aka Coca-Cola Park) was roaring with […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Qiniso Dialogues: Will you join us?
By Shaka Sisulu “Where do I begin?” This was my first thought when I sat down to pen this reflection on my involvement and experience with the Qiniso Dialogues. It’s a common enough question and so I had an answer at the ready “from the beginning”. So what is Qiniso? Well, for starters it’s the […]