If Australia is riveted by the saga of the poo in the gelato, the British are being distracted en masse by a scandal involving a comedian, a talk show host, a member of a Gothic burlesque group called Satanic Sluts Extreme, and Manuel from Fawlty Towers. It sounds like a set-up for a joke, and […]
Sarah Britten
During the day Sarah Britten is a communication strategist; by night she writes books and blog entries. And sometimes paints. With lipstick. It helps to have insomnia.
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
The poo in the icecream
No, this is not one of those stories, the sort you expect to find in an Arthur Goldstuck. In fact, it’s not an urban legend at all – at least, that’s how events are panning out. So far. The story of how four scoops of gelato were served on a bed of faeces to a […]
Posted inBusiness
How much do you hate your bank?
How do I hate my bank? Let me count the ways. I hate Standard Bank because they charge R12 a page to send me electronic statements. That’s right: electronic statements, not paper ones. Not even lawyers have the cheek to do that. I hate Standard Bank because they charge service fees for not delivering service […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Would women really make better leaders?
All this publicity for Sarah Palin has got me thinking about one of the most endemic myths of contemporary (largely Western) political culture: the idea that if women were in charge, the world would be a kinder, gentler place. This is a load of bollocks. Look at Margaret Thatcher. The Iron Lady, famous for crushing […]
Posted inLifestyle
Getting around: Sydney vs Joburg
One of the best things about Sydney is the fact that I get to ride to work in a boat. No traffic circles, no minibus taxis or BMW drivers (at least, not in their BMWs), twenty minutes chugging across one of the world’s most beautiful harbours: it’s hard to imagine a more pleasant commute. The […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Dildos, foreskins and matric art: should Cohen and Pienaar have been dumped?
Ah, the universe works in mysterious ways. Just the other day a South African friend and colleague and I were wondering what on earth happened to Steven Cohen. And lo and behold, here he is again, complaining because, along with Peet Pienaar, he has apparently been dumped from a list of artists recommended for inclusion […]
Posted inGeneral
Do tourists irritate you?
I wonder if newer residents of London, New York, Paris or San Francisco feel this way. I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that I’ve come to feel quite resentful of tourists, which is a bit rich, considering that I myself was one until a little less than six months ago. I noticed it […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Just what a prime minister needs: a crisis
Not everyone is suffering as a result of the global financial crisis. In fact, the possible catastrophic collapse of the financial system as we have come to know it has done wonders for at least two dull, middle aged men, namely Gordon Brown and Kevin Rudd. Gordon Brown was a dead man walking a month […]
Posted inNews/Politics
On being ashamed of your government
I’ve met two retired American couples in the past three weeks, both very chatty and pleasant. We met the first, from Phoenix, Arizona, on the ferry to Paramatta; the second, from Los Angeles, stood behind us in the queue at the airport this morning. In both of our conversations, the subject of the US elections […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Using children as human shields (from criticism)
Australians are in a flap once again over the exploitation of children. This time, acclaimed photographer Bill Henson is back in the news. Henson was the centre of public attention earlier in the year when police raided a Sydney art gallery after claims that his photographs of nude adolescents amounted to child pornography. Australia’s arts […]
Posted inLifestyle
Tannie-style kissing takes off
Who would have thought it? Lip-on-lip kissing, normally associated with ooms and tannies and oumas, has become fashionable in London. “On the party scene, air kissing — that horrible ‘mwah, mwah’ used by the kind of people who know your job title and dress size but forget your name – is out,” noted the Daily […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media
50th birthday for the credit card: priceless
On this, the fiftieth birthday of the credit card, it’s appropriate to reflect on our relationship with that most fantastic of plastic. The credit card is a global phenomenon, but also a deeply personal issue. Until recently, I was wading unsteadily through glutinous swamps of debt, but I am happy to report that hallelujah, I […]