General

You might not have noticed, but the Mail & Guardian is increasingly accused of abandoning its leftist leanings. Now, I am not one to pronounce on the ideological shifts of newspapers or whether they are correct. I do know, though, that there appears to be a romantic view about what it means to be a […]

“BEE company wins 10-year contract to feed Kruger visitors: “A black economic empowerment group has been given a multimillion-rand contract to run all restaurants in the Kruger National Park, in Mpumalanga. The group has signed a lucrative 10-year contract with the South African National Parks to operate the Kruger’s 12 restaurants.” — UPI The reporter […]

Anyone who has ever been privileged to witness an Afrikaans magistrate giving his judgement or, more importantly here, his sentence, in English will know why I consider this the eighth wonder of the world. You can forget about Jackie Mason, Billy Connelly and Barry Hilton; just pop along to any magistrate’s court near you. Just […]

It’s sad to see how little our public servants care about their jobs. And here I’m specifically referring to the little people, not the ministers or heads of department. These are the men and women who man counters, operate cash registers, print licences and take thumbprints. I recently had the misfortune of having to renew […]

A confidential source working in the IT department in Parliament sent me this screengrab from President Thabo Mbeki’s inbox. Thought you might like to see it [click picture below to enlarge].

If I hosted a dinner party for my 10 closest friends, the topics of conversations would undoubtedly include the expected ones: crime, the three Ms (Mbeki, Manto, Mugabe), the dollar, need for holidays and our kids’ lives. But here is what we would not be talking about: Facebook, Twitter, blogs or Web 2.0. And believe […]

I thought the time had come for me to do something a bit more analytical than a report on my weekend at Oppikoppi, my views on Facebook friendship, nudity in small-town America and angst about my cyber-footprint. President Thabo Mbeki’s firing of Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge seemed like fair fodder. Everyone else was doing […]

It is important, in any democracy, to have a series of checks and balances on the executive. An important segment of these safeguards is the media, from whom the people seek both information and guidance. It is just as important that these “safeguards” don’t lose sight of the bigger picture: South Africa, 13 years after […]

In order to assist those interested in coming to South Africa in 2010, herewith a comprehensive FAQ (frequently asked questions). FAQ South Africa: Where’s that? How well do you know Egypt? We would suggest a flight to Cairo, stop over and then a scenic African drive south. Your best bet would be to hire your […]

Scientists have taken an old wives’ tale and turned it into a reality: volunteers at the University College London actually underwent an out-of-body experience. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/24/2 The impact on our daily lives could be incredible. A person whose mind is operating outside their body could be the scientific find mankind has been waiting for. Anyone? If […]

The official New Zealand Department of Population and Sustainable Development website has a page dedicated to sheep. Or more specifically, a page dedicated to correcting the misperception that the sheep-to-human ratio in New Zealand is 20:1. I’m not making this up. http://www.population.govt.nz/myth-busters/sheepmyth.htm I find this fascinating. Clearly, the clear-thinking government of New Zealand identified this […]

Someone told me the other day that we live in a society of illiterates, that kids don’t read any more and that the quality of our interaction with words is declining because of TV and tabloid newspapers. All I could say in response was: “Huh?” It’s so easy to talk about corruption of journalism and […]