That was freaky wasn’t it? One minute Australia’s first innings was being complete, the next South Africa had been bowled out and then, Australia get rolled over for 47. Truly bizarre. The pitch shouldn’t be examined for Gummy Bear juice, nor should the bowling be raved about as the reincarnation of Wasim Akram, Sir Richard […]
General
Posted inGeneral
Secrecy Bill good in theory, police state in practice
The Protection of State Information Bill will be tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday where it may be referred to a parliamentary ad hoc committee or passed and sent to the National Council of Provinces for deliberations. This does not mean that it cannot be amended or modified before being sent to President Jacob […]
Posted inEnvironment, General, Lifestyle
Kusile protest: Greenpeace disputes Eskom claims
I was one of the Greenpeace climbers who scaled the crane inside Eskom’s Kusile construction plant on Monday morning. In climbing the crane and dropping the two banners, our goal was to highlight the true cost of coal-fired electricity in South Africa. We wanted to put Kusile back on the agenda after months of dialogue, […]
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History is a city
On a recent trip to England, while sitting on a train en route from London to the north where my mother, and hundreds of years of ancestry are, I lapsed into my usual reverie, staring out the window for the entire duration of the journey, books and laptops and other distractions soon forgotten watching the […]
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Rome, city of layered history
Walking through this city with its ancient, medieval, Renaissance, baroque and modern history all telescoped together, I reflected on Freud comparing it to the human psyche, what with all the layers of history, of time past, surrounding one wherever you turn. And if the remnants, ecclesiastic, artistic and architectural, which address one on virtually every […]
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The race of life
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Automation key to communication system consolidation
It is not only possible but very beneficial to run an organisation with various businesses or business units — situated in disparate geographic locations — using an ERP system for back-end functions and a single communications platform. This scenario is not an operational pipe dream — it is a reality that can be rolled out […]
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Teaching to transgress
By Athambile Masola The public education system is failing in South Africa. This is nothing new. As the year comes to an end we will soon be bombarded with the matric results that will confirm the consequences of an unequal education system. We will all lament, shake our heads in despair, point fingers at the […]
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SMS the crime fighter
The latest South African crime statistics for 2010/2011 could probably best be summarised as “improving, but could do better”. While there have been reductions in the murder and attempted murder rate, assault, robbery and attacks on policemen — fighting crime should still be at the top of South Africa’s agenda. With SMS being so suited […]