Posted inNews/Politics

Liberal capitalists and the Wall Street bail-out: they’re quite clever, these people.

There are several questions about the proposed bail-out of the once most powerful capitalist institutions on Wall Street that have been quite bothersome. These questions are quite basic; they are shaped less by scholarly work or influence, than by a most basic perception of inconsistency, contradiction, double-standards and ideological bias on the part of the […]

Posted inNews/Politics

The United States presidential election: celebrating wars and the people who fought in them

A recent series of photographs, a medium which is close to my heart, published in the United States illustrates the ways in which the military, militarism and war have become central and defining features of the imagery surrounding the 2008 presidential elections. One of my absolute favourite blogs, BagnewsNotes, (which, incidentally, renders my own analyses […]

Posted inNews/PoliticsSport

They call it trash talking, but it is plain old arrogance, bravado and a (customary) lack of humility

The Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva yesterday got the Olympic gold and a world record and Jenn Stuczynski of the United States got the silver and a lesson in humility … “I hope we do some damage,” she [US athlete said], “and, you know, kick some Russian butt.” Big mistake. Isinbayeva is Russian but understands […]

Posted inGeneral

I am not patriotic: Forgedaboudit!

Sentletse Diakanyo ended his post on patriotism with a reference to a football team. This gives me a useful way to submit a contribution on the topic. I am not patriotic. This does not mean that I “hate South Africa”. Hell no. It simply means that I have beliefs and values that transcend national and/or […]