My brother died. He died on the same day as former president and international icon Nelson Mandela. They both died on December 5 2013. My brother was 65 while Mandela was 95. It was Mandela who lived a long and blessed life despite having spent 27 years of his life in jail. It is a […]
General
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Gareth Cliff, religion and thinking things through
I caught sight of a celebrity tweet several days ago, carrying all the hallmarks of a Gareth Cliff tweet — inflammatory, incendiary and poking fun at someone. The stream of tweets in reply did not disappoint. Cliff of course knew exactly what he was doing, and that he would get a mixed response of supporters […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
Are you allergic to debt?
To be allergic to debt is an inconvenient and annoying affliction. It’s worse than being lactose intolerant or breaking out in hives when you accidentally ingest a strawberry. I do have a credit card, and a cellphone contract, but other than that, I don’t borrow money. I’ve just developed a credit education campaign for a […]
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A small story of kindness
“My name’s Martin,” he said as we crossed Bree Street. It was around 9.20pm on Thursday night, and dark. In La Parada, the beautiful people were busy eating tapas and enjoying wine. I was neither beautiful nor successful; I had lost my parking ticket and I was a mess. A lost ticket costs R90 at […]
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Beautiful, but expensive Basel
Basel is among the oldest cities of Europe, and architecturally speaking, among the most beautiful. Its founding antedates the beginning of the common era (CE), and its history from the Roman through the medieval to the modern period is as chequered as any city’s could be. It is a relatively small city, with just over […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle, News/Politics, Tech
Is the motor industry killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?
So there you are, an ordinary guy with an ordinary job who wants to buy the best car that you can afford. It has to be reliable and economical rather than have a “WOW” factor, so you’ve pretty well set your mind on a boring new 1.3-litre hatch for R160 000 when up pops a pristine […]
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Mentorship can help – SpreadLuv Movement
In 2009 a group of incredible women started the SpreadLuv Movement. The organisation hosts career guidance days at schools in and around Gauteng and aims to help the youth of South Africa make informed decisions about their futures. “We started it after meeting a group of teenagers at a care centre and realising that our […]
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Why did men stop holding hands?
In the 80s I would walk down the streets with black male friends holding hands while we chatted. It was an essential part of real male friendship and no-one would really give it a second glance. Many men would give no thought at all to draping their arms around one another as they walked and […]
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Why I wouldn’t want to live in suburbia
By Ang Lloyd I was born in Troyeville, Johannesburg, back when it was still considered “nice”. For the first two years of my life we lived opposite Gandhi’s old house. My mother has told me about a neighbour, Adolf, who, after the Jews moved out and the Portuguese moved in, he ominously whispered to my […]
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Giving thanks for places and people: South African-American bobotie in New England
As I get older I become more emotional. My children scoff, “Pah! You’re kidding, you’ve always been emotional.” Okay, maybe they’re right. Thank God they’re now older than 16 when they were always right. It always amazes me that in the few weeks before Thanksgiving the turkeys appear in the streets, in groups or gangs […]
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Tarzan revisited
The story of Tarzan is familiar to millions of readers and movie fans all over the world. In addition to the original narrative (Tarzan of the Apes), more than 20 subsequent Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs fleshed out the story and concomitantly the parameters of what is ultimately a myth, mainly, but not exclusively […]
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The Malema conundrum
Julius Malema is such a polarising figure. We loathe and love him in equal measure. He shakes us in our comfort zones by confronting the compromises of our leaders. He makes us discuss, yet again, what the liberation struggle was about. Did political power for the black government mean an end to apartheid and the […]