There are persistent rumours that Prince Harry is not his father’s son. But he is certainly his grandfather’s grandson. Like Prince Philip, the undisputed king of making racially-tinged gaffes, Harry has landed himself in hot water for referring to ethnic minorities in derogatory terms. Philip, married to the Queen, has insulted the Chinese (“slitty eyed”), […]
News/Politics
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Fight fascism: visit Zimbabwe
I’ve just returned from a trip to Victoria Falls — my first visit to Zimbabwe. And although it’s very much sheltered from the rest of the country’s meltdown, the signs are still there — each day we saw weary locals bringing back bread loaves and sacks of maize over the bridge from Zambia. It was […]
Posted inBusiness, Media, News/Politics, Tech
Corruption-free politics — the blueprint
Over the last 18 months we have brought this innovation to the attention of all of the represented political parties. Now for the first time, we share this hitherto confidential “inside information” with you. Assuming that all politicians got into politics to help people and that, if given the opportunity, both politicians and political party […]
Posted inNews/Politics
An Oscar for the Dark Knight, Zuma Ledger
Having watched The Dark Knight five times now I would definitely give Heath Ledger the nod for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Batman’s iconic archvillain, The Joker. Batman is something I know a helluva lot about having studied the Caped Crusader since I was about six or seven years old. In the field […]
Posted inNews/Politics
ANC manifesto: South Africa first
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. (Robert Frost) The ANC’s election manifesto launched in East London on Saturday prioritises: creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods; education; health; rural development, food security and land […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Conflict in Gaza : Brothers at war
At the outset I must confirm that I am an Orthodox Jew who firmly believes in the Torah and the practices of my religion. This does not mean that I am in any way qualified to give the Jewish point of view on this issue as I’m sure that most rabbis who read this article […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Endless tit for tat in the Middle East
There was a horribly sad story in the UK recently about a young woman who had a minor accident in her car just before a railway level crossing. Due to the ice her car skidded onto the rail tracks as the booms went down. She got hit by the train as she was frantically trying […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Get some perspective, people! Perspective!
I know the New Testament passage singles out “rich men”, but the condemnation is levelled in the context of hypocrites. Jesus scandalises a gathering by saying: “It will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a (hypocrite) to enter the kingdom of God”. Irrespective of whether he […]
Posted inNews/Politics
On SA politics: our public selves, our private elves (yes, elves)
Probably the most fascinating “novel” I have ever read is JM Coetzee’s recent Diary of a Bad Year. It is written on three levels on most pages, with a line between each level: Narrative one: the public figure, JC, where we read his observations on a variety of contemporary topics in scholarly articles ranging from […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Obama’s disdain sends Mugabe to Russia; China revisited?
In June of last year Barack Obama, soon to be inaugurated as the next president of the United States, declared Robert Mugabe’s regime illegitimate and lacking in credibility. Then Senator for Illinois, Obama expressed the view that “If fresh elections prove impossible, the US and other countries should tighten “targeted sanctions” and “pursue an enforceable, […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Israel-Gaza: What will bring about lasting peace?
This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online: Israel-Gaza: What will bring about lasting peace?
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Buyology — how we’re brainwashed into buying stuff
We’ve always suspected those tawdry health warnings on a packet of fags were rather dumb, but never knew why. Well, it seems that, contrary to discouraging smoking, they actually encourage lighting up by stimulating the nucleus accumbens — the craving spot — in the brain. This recent research finding in what’s called “buy*ology” is a […]