There is a strange, black beneficiary of affirmative action (AA) and ongoing political and economic change who refuses to acknowledge the gains and opportunities provided by majority rule, especially ANC policies. It is always curious, for me, to read or listen to a story of a black person who refuses to acknowledge that, directly or […]
2011
Posted inGeneral
On UFOs and (psychogenic) perception
The recent declassification of previously secret documents by the FBI, and the availability of these on their so-called Vault website, have given the public access to, among others, the documents pertaining to the UFO “incident” at Roswell in the US, dating back to 1947. The incident in question involves, not merely sightings of “flying discs” […]
Posted inGeneral
Shortened Australia Tests a sign of cricket coming full circle
A very interesting statement was made by a Cricket Australia spokesman on May 6 when questioned about the now shortened Test series against South Africa, set for this coming October. Australia are touring to return the favour of South Africa, having toured Down Under during December and January, both countries’ most profitable time for cricket. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The Empire strikes back
Should the British media wish to treat the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the sycophancy that one associates with that which the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation accords Mad Bob, on their own bowed heads be it.
Posted inLifestyle
Another stalker (at least he’s entertaining)
“today if i go home,” writes my Facebook friend, “i will tell my mum about you sarah you are so nice to me”. Which surprises me because a) I haven’t been nice to him and b) I’d have a tough time distinguishing between him and a bar of Lux. In response to all of his […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Slow walk through Main Street
Last week-end, I experienced one of those — all too rare — refreshing periods of exhilaration that gave me renewed hope for South Africa as a country. I attended a volksfees in the platteland! Yes! A volksfees in die ware sin van die woord! I hope that, when the annual Cederberg festival in the town […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The Bin Ladens of Boksburg
There’s a trim, two-storey house at the end of a cul-de-sac on the East Rand. The facade is ordinary: railway house meets Boere-baroque. If you could see it, that is. The property is surrounded by a 10-metre high wall and laced with razor wire. Behind the walls, in the out-building, the world’s most wanted man […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Ctrl+Alt+Delete — resetting this blog
I let this blog space go dormant for more than a year. I let it “rest” for two main reasons. First, because I felt increasingly uncomfortable engaging in discussions on what was happening in South Africa, least of all because I have not lived in the country since August 1997. Second, because I have been […]
Posted inNews/Politics
No world peace until premium placed on humanity
In June 2006, The Guardian carried an interesting story about young and radical British rapper Aki Nawaz, also known as Aki-Stani or Propa-Gandhi. The story was prompted by two record label executives threatening to resign if Nawaz went ahead to release his group’s album, All Is War (The Benefits of G-had). The album itself was […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Fear in Afghanistan
I had moved to a new guesthouse which looked and felt like a death trap. I had to travel even further to work and the first morning, just to complicate matters further, there was a demonstration at the University of Kabul. We took a circuitous route to the government compound: up and down narrow alleys […]
Posted inGeneral
SMS, social media, the new canary in the political coalmine
Today the early warning for a government in trouble seems to be when the rulers in question clamp down on electronic communication, especially social media and SMS. We’ve seen it happen across the African continent and further afield, starting with Mozambique and India in 2010, and then this year in Egypt, Tunisia and Cameroon. In […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Freedom
A man cannot belong to an organisation and remain free. In fact, to be free, man must not only cease to belong to any organisation but organisations must be dissolved. This is a very complicated matter because for most people, organisations are necessary for discipline and order in society. When you think about, this explains […]