You see, in my previous post I grievously underestimated how many climate change sceptics there are among Thought Leader readers. Perhaps my calling those sceptics “dim-witted” drew them out from their exhaust fumes. I’m not sure. But the point is, I must apologise: not for the insult, but for unwittingly creating the impression that there […]
Lifestyle
Posted inLifestyle
Schools of our Future: What skills are needed?
Where does traditional schooling fail the requirements of modern developed society. A modern society is differentiated by it’s dependence on being inter-dependent on each and every other thing. Therefore the core needs of this society shift from external measurement of products and success to internal human values of discerning thinking, community, empowerment and team work. […]
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Post-Modern Hippie Communalism
But I digress. It felt even more hippie-esque considering the total absence of any furniture beyond the bare necessities residing in the kitchen. The dinners on a mattress in the living room and ashtrays on the floor accompanied by constantly refilled wine glasses and philosophical musings stand out as memorable experiences thus far. It has […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Does missing laptop plus two black people add up to guilty?
By Thabang Tlaka It was a beautiful summer afternoon so my aunt, an employee of the University of Pretoria and I, a student at the university, decided to sit on a bench and enjoy the late afternoon sun. Suddenly, a man came running out of the Theology building behind us. Clearly panicking and confused, he […]
Posted inLifestyle
More sap, less paint
By Roger Diamond I see there is a new “race” between the US and China. This time it is to create as much green power as possible. The hype around this new race is good, with even the US president opening his mouth on the issue. Big green NGOs such as 350.org are getting in […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Wanted: MPs on Facebook
One of the big stories of the week, which did not get much coverage, was one that would have been funny if it was not so very sad. It had to do with the fact that 85% of parliamentarians are not computer literate. This means that only 15% of our elected leaders know how to […]
Posted inLifestyle
The real war on cancer (maybe)
The South African media seems to have blissfully ignored one of the most important health stories of the decade — last week’s report by President Obama’s Cancer Panel (PCP) which, finally, has turned the tables on the entire cancer industry from within. While the PCP report focuses on the cancer epidemic in the US — […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Freedom still a distant dream
Now that the dust has settled on Freedom Day — April 27, the 16th anniversary of the first time all South Africans voted in a democratic election — it is worth reflecting on what it means to be free, what we still need to do to achieve more freedom and what we need to do […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Simply Slim ‘defies’ the MCC
Simply Slim relaunched their new product, as spokesperson of the Department of Health (DOH) Fidel Hadebe stated on 15 April 2010, “in defiance of the MCC [Medicines Control Council] directive” — ie before it had been registered and a certificate of registration issued by the Registrar of the MCC as is required by the Medicines […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
(Not) the product of the year
Advertisements proudly carrying the “Product of the Year 2010” logo are beginning to pop up with annoying frequency. I chanced on one such product which, according to the proud winner, was voted product of the year in the supplements category. The Product of the Year website has not listed the 2010 winners — but it […]
Posted inLifestyle
is you a grammar nazi?
There are a bunch of folks out there who like to get up in our shit. Nitpicking word puritans who like to get all righteous about how we use the English language. You’ll find them in every office, on every forum, blog, twitter feed, and comment section. Verbholes who spend their lives looking for deviances […]
Posted inLifestyle
A solid American
The first time I see Henry, he’s tired. He’s carrying a camera case and looks punished. He’s just spent a day in the townships outside Cape Town. His bag is heavy, and he doesn’t want help. This is a theme I’ll get familiar with over the next week. Once a son of the LA Punk […]