One murder is one murder too many, said South Africa’s Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, at Wednesday’s funeral of Sheldon Cohen, who was shot at Balfour Park in Johannesburg on Monday night. In the past year, three of my friends have been killed by criminals. That it is three murders too many is only the beginning […]
Lifestyle
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media
Using Madiba
It was interesting to notice last week a few blogs on Thought Leader about Nelson Mandela, affectionately known as Madiba. I was hoping to respond to these blogs earlier, but blogging is not my full-time occupation and I just could not find the time to do so. I have always felt that many people use […]
Posted inLifestyle
And now for something completely different …
In light of the fact (no pun intended) that Eskom switched my power back on just in time for my favourite TV show of the week, here are a few of the best TV shows ever made (according to me). Feel free to add your own: Seinfeld. Top of my list and one of the […]
Posted inLifestyle
Movies, movies and more movies
Oh dear, more movies to watch. It’s not like I don’t have three or four previews in a week, and then there are the DVDs piling up at home … The second edition of 1 001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (Cassell) is out. The previous edition (2003) ended with The Pianist; this one […]
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Is it possible to go crazy from being put on hold?
Yes. After some extended quality time with Telkom’s automated hold system this morning, these are a few of my (least) favourite things about being put on hold: They’re cheap. They only invested in 45 seconds of badly mastered pan-pipe instrumentals, and then looped it. This is more than a little annoying when you’re on hold […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Tech
Give me the info, but make it quick
I’ve developed a curious reading disorder and I’ve established that I’m not alone. I hardly read in the strictest sense any longer. I’m stretching if I have to read a piece of more than 500 words without getting to the point. I ignore articles that have vague headlines. Ninety percent of my knowledge of current […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Maybe the bar is just too high for the ANC …
I forget what the column in the Pretoria News was called, but it was one that writers would take up for a season and then move on to something else. The column retained its name and identity, but different styles, perceptions, questions and answers came and went. During my tenure there, Rob Fysh — now […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle
The ‘wine of the bean’
I am a slave to the “wine of the bean” more commonly known as coffee. If I don’t have a cup of coffee before I start my day, I am just a ______ (I think vulgarities are not allowed on this blog) — well, let’s just say that I am a bad, unfriendly person. The […]
Posted inLifestyle
Is there (any) joy in power cuts?
From a business and economic point of view, no. But what about personally? Is there any way we can find pleasure in no electricity? Here are a few (only slightly ironic) of my favourite things about power cuts: Candlelight! What a romantic way to eat a dinner of bread and cheese. Everyone looks better in […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Sweetch orf de geezas!
Can you believe the asinine, parochial, juvenile response of the government to one of the worst crises this country has ever faced? Sweetch orf yo lights en de geezas. That’s the official spokestwit’s response on Talk Radio 702! Mines are stopping operations — stopping, not reducing, not downscaling, but stopping — just as the prices […]
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Feel-good songs for Friday
These are a few of my favourite, can’t-resist-dancing songs. (It’s Friday! Lighten up!) I Feel it All by Leslie Feist. A new acquisition (just got it this week), but totally irresistible. Great beat, fantastic lyrics, and it’ll get stuck in your head and never, ever, ever leave. Best line? “I know more than I’m known […]
Posted inLifestyle
In honour of Heath, my favourite leading ladies
Before I launch into my list of favourite movie stars, perhaps a moment of reflection on the fact that maybe being a movie star is lonelier than being a normal person. Maybe there’s less space to fail, less space to look weak, more tendency to bottle things up until there seems to be no possible […]