Damn, I love Americans. Just when you’ve written them off as hopeless, as a nation in decline, they turn around and do something extraordinary, which tells you why the United States of America is still the greatest nation on earth. But too, what is happening in America and Kenya holds lessons for politicians everywhere, and […]
General
Posted inGeneral, Media, News/Politics
Bring on the building blogs
If taken in earnest, blogging provides a generous platform for research. Generous because responses are free, and, while the “research” can hardly be called scientific, it is a toe-tip test of the pool’s swimmability. In my relatively short (though, may I say, rather spectacular) adventure in the blogosphere, I have gained insights I would have […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Talent is the new oil — why SA is running on empty
“Talent is the new oil and demand far outstrips supply,” executive search firm Heldrick & Struggles, in partnership with the Economist intelligence unit, noted in its Global Talent Index released late last year. But South Africa is getting it wrong if it wants to become globally competitive.
Posted inGeneral
Silwane throws the bones for 2008
The world is littered with people who make money for jam. It is just the way of the capitalist system. The trick about the capitalist system is to discover what it is that one has (product, skill, talent) that people are willing to pay for that is meaningless and has no value. This is why […]
Posted inGeneral
2008 : Nutcracker’s sweet or ballbreakers R Us? (Part II)
And now for something completely different: July World Youth Day will be celebrated in Sydney, Australia, and Bill Gates will step down from the day-to-day running of Microsoft. As the Jacob Zuma trial approaches, the government confirms that the decision on Jackie Selebi will be taken as soon as the minister of justice has returned […]
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2008: Disruptive, innovative, green
It seems as if Earth orbits faster around the sun every year. There is this theory that it is the result of us all being connected 365-24-7 and having a lot less off-time. This made me think of the coming year and how to slow things down. However, the activity bored me to tears within […]
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2008: Nutcracker’s sweet or ballbreakers R Us? (Part I)
So don’t yield to the fortunes — You sometimes see as fate — It may have a new perspective — On a different date — And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in — You may just be OK. (Mike and the Mechanics, Living Years) 2008 may well prove to be pivotal in […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle, News/Politics, Tech
Ten Predictions for 2008
Hillary Clinton will become the 44th US president on November 4 2008 and if she is wise and the world is fortunate she will select Barack Obama as her vice-president or appoint him to a senior position dealing with internal US policies. The world will shift intense and expensive efforts focused on HIV and Aids […]
Posted inBusiness, General, News/Politics
Matric results: Fire Naledi Pandor
Polokwane taught us that South Africans are tired of promises and of people with posh voices telling us what to do and doing nothing themselves. We begin 2008 with dreadful matric results — 21 500 young people failed in Gauteng alone. How is that possible in the wealthiest, best resourced province in Africa?
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle
Service in South Africa: Heroes and zeros
South Africa has one of the worst service ethoses in the world. I’m trying to think which nation in the world that I have travelled to is worse and can’t. And yes, I deliberately avoid Nigeria, there is just so much trauma I’m prepared to experience in one lifetime.
Posted inGeneral
With Facebook you get without asking
When a snot-nosed and wet-behind-the-ears 23-year-old tells the world at a media junket how the advertising industry needs to listen to him, you wonder what authority he has to do that. His grand message is that “the next hundred years will be different for advertising, and it starts today”.
Posted inGeneral
Theory and practice
In a previous posting (The critical task of universities) I wrote about, among other things, the society-critical task of universities, as well as the place of teaching and research at such institutions. Unsurprisingly, it has elicited a negative comment aimed at exposing what my critic saw as the hollowness of “theory”