The implications of the heading, above, are not as simple as it may appear. I can imagine most feminists immediately reminding me that adopting a different discursive orientation — different from patriarchal discourse, that is — is already highly unconventional. As a male feminist (no, it’s not an oxymoron) myself, I would agree, but that’s […]
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Tutoring can help
Emmanuel Khumalo an educator at the Krazifizix Educational Club, a free extra-lesson tuition programme in KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal, is proving that with a little extra help he can give learners the opportunity to thrive academically and build brilliant futures for themselves. “I started at Krazifizix in February this year, however have always been giving lessons,” […]
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Mirror wars
The crime novel I referred to in my last post (The diversity of individuals), Leif Persson’s Between Summer’s Longing and Winter’s End) is a real treasure trove of wisdom on life, love, good, evil, and a host of other things that really matter. It is much more than just a crime novel; it is a […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
Hipster Muslim desperately seeks marriage
My sister has this theory: She refuses to settle for anyone in the limited cess-pool of Indian Muslim men from small communities that sort of Indian Muslim women are limited to when they come from families where one of the parents is rather overly traditional when it comes to stuff like that. Mostly because she […]
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A new toy can help
Imagine giving a toy to every underprivileged child on the continent. Not just any old thing, but a brand new toy of their choice. This is the dream of Danie van Loggerenberg, founder of Toys for Africa. “Four years ago I had a marketing company and was making a lot of cash, but I wasn’t […]
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A blonde walked into the room
A blonde walked into the room. Tokyo’s loins stirred like a shifting crocodile on the banks of the Limpopo … or perhaps a mole on the first day of spring … or possibly an idea about to be birthed. The point is they stirred and this took him by surprise. He had not felt stirred […]
Posted inGeneral, Health
‘Death and dying in the Eastern Cape’
By Zimbini Ogle Death and dying is something we are certain of. However, we cling to a hope that our death will be delayed when we come into contact with healthcare professionals. This hope is soon shattered by the SECTION 27 report titled “Death and dying in the Eastern Cape: An investigation into the collapse […]
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The diversity of individuals
Some individuals are gregarious, and others are solitary. It is probably also the case that there is a group in-between these extremes – those people who are neither solitary nor gregarious, but are happy with their own company when alone, and comfortable among others at work, at play and on other social occasions. It is […]
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A lay-by on shop U22, Sandton City / the outer fringe
The truth is, although I noticed Amos Letsoalo’s beautiful charcoal drawing of an anteater, I could hardly look at the art shown on the Joburg Fringe this year. Having visited it first, unfortunately just after it closed on the opening night, I was so taken with the fact of it, featured as it was in […]
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Conservation innovation can help
Rhino poaching has been a hot topic in South Africa and across the globe for a few years now. Yet despite our very best efforts these gentle giants are still being poached at an alarming rate. Last year saw 668 rhinos poached on South African soil. Disappointingly, this year seems to be no different with […]
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Are we facing an ethical vacuum today?
In Living in the End Times (Verso, 2010, p. 324), the man who has been described as the “most dangerous philosopher in the West” (New Republic), Slavoj Žižek, makes the following remark: “The task [today] is to restore civility, not a new ethical substance. Civility is not the same as custom (in the strong sense […]
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Get your whiteness out of my face
A lot of people have been talking about whiteness. I get where they are coming from. It’s been on my mind too. You know the score. You are in a shop, and the sales assistant doesn’t have your size. The waitress says that they don’t have a reservation under your name. The man in the […]