John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt, professor of international relations at Harvard, published what they have styled a working paper (updated from 2002 through 2007) on the Israel lobby and its effect on US foreign policy. The March 2006 version may be seen here. The latest version […]
Michael Trapido
Mike Trapido is a criminal attorney and publicist having also worked as an editor and journalist.
He was born in Johannesburg and attended HA Jack and Highlands North High Schools.
He married Robyn in 1984 (Mrs Traps, aka "the government") and has three sons (who all look suspiciously like her ex-boss).
He was a counsellor on the JCCI for a year around 1992.
His passions include Derby County, Blue Bulls, Orlando Pirates, Proteas and Springboks.
He takes Valium in order to cope with Bafana Bafana's results.
Practice Michael Trapido Attorney (civil and criminal) 011 022 7332
Posted inGeneral
What they definitely won’t teach you at Harvard Law
My very first encounter with criminal law was when my principal Kyriaco (Jack) Hajibey told me to go to the OK Bazaars, buy a bottle of Colgate Shampoo and pay for it at the counter nearest the door. As the clerk of this eminent attorney, of Cypriot extraction, who was I to argue? It seemed […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Robert Fisk: Bush is a holocaust denier
Robert Fisk, in his latest article for the Independent (UK), claims that President George W Bush’s about-face, on the resolution to declare the 1915 atrocities committed by the Ottoman Turkish authorities on the 1,5-million Christian Armenians an act of genocide, tantamount to holocaust denial. Fisk even goes further in styling Bush as the David Irving […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Garbage
In blocking the path of two major gay rights organisations from being accredited at the United Nations and a resolution condemning rape as a weapon of war, South Africa has demonstrated not only that it has chosen petulance and expedience over decency, but also that it has forgotten what it was like to endure persecution […]
Posted inSport
Rugby World Cup 1995 champions toast the class of 2007
The South African Rugby Legends Association (Sarla) hosted a meeting of the 1995 and 2007 Rugby World Cup champions at the Southern Sun hotel in Grayston Drive, Sandton, Johannesburg, on Thursday evening. It was an opportunity for Francois Pienaar’s legendary side to congratulate the guys who had brought home our second title. I must admit, […]
Posted inGeneral
Norman Mailer: The misogynist’s song
When, if ever, does the talent of an individual attain such heights that it lessens, or even negates the impact of their horrific deeds? Can a writer’s past be ignored or, as Johann Hari puts it, glossed over, in an effort to recognise his work? Perhaps an even more important question is can you do […]
Posted inLifestyle
Stone Age miniskirts and Victorian fashion tips
As the leading exponent of open-necked trousers, my brief foray into women’s fashion will probably leave the editors gobsmacked. I can actually picture them sitting there, desperately trying to figure out whether this is some sort of revenge for their point-blank refusal to entertain an article on women and paralytic parking. Riaan Wolmarans checking every […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Tutu, Habib, apartheid and Islamophobia — the power of the internet
I read with interest the decision of the United States government to refuse Professor Adam Habib entry into the US. Purportedly this was based on an Immigration and Nationality Act relating to terrorist activities. Habib is the deputy vice-chancellor of research, innovation and advancement at the University of Johannesburg. Crucially here, he is also a […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Pat Robertson’s endorsement of Giuliani is a big deal
When a televangelist who blamed the 9/11 attack on the United States on abortionists and feminists endorses the presidential campaign of a man who is openly pro-abortion and gay rights, it’s a big deal. In fact, it’s occasioned the Times of London’s Gerard Baker to describe it as the “the fracturing of the American evangelist […]
Posted inLifestyle
New study finds it’s good to be fat
I’ve finally worked out what it is that’s killing people. It’s not butter or margarine. It’s those clowns who carry out the medical studies. Every day we’re told that studies show that eggs are killing more people every hour than Stalin ever did — only to be informed two days later that in a study […]
Posted inLifestyle
Oprah’s school is tragic, but Jokela is symptomatic of something more dangerous
Last year, in the face of the new legislation relating to child abuse, I went out and bought a coffee-table-sized wooden book on child psychology. And what a joy it’s been — every time the kids give me crap, I hit them with it. I mean, what are parents supposed to do? You can’t touch […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile says sports quotas are out
I have decided to have Makhenkesi Stofile’s children. It’s not a decision I have taken lightly and I’d better not suffer any morning sickness (I’m a bastard as it is). If I do, he’ll have me on the phone every day, going on about how I slave over a hot stove and clean the house […]