Recently I was fortunate to see Steven Soderbergh’s two-part film on Ernesto “Che” Guevara, respectively titled The Argentine and Guerrilla, which debuted at the 2008 Cannes film festival, to mixed reviews. I say “fortunate” for two reasons — first, it is a splendid, documentary-style film-duo which corresponds, as far as I am able to ascertain, […]
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Posted inGeneral
My new must-have app: Dropbox
Like many people these days, I work across many machines in a typical work-day. I have a Windows machine at the office, a Mac at home and back up all the computers to a Windows Home Server in the cupboard. I have a few “essential” folders that I always want to have access to (things […]
Posted inGeneral
My patronising attitude towards the Chinese
1 Book sales on my recently launched memoir, Cracking China are going well, and my publicist is doing a superb job. Most magazine and newspaper reviewers and radio stations are keen to do interviews with me, which is wonderful and a privilege. I look forward to the next radio interview, with Karen Key on […]
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The new beast: The beginning of the end?
By Duncan Keal The news that Mathew Hayden will be wielding a new weapon in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) came as little surprise. While the shape of cricket bats has remained constant over hundreds of years, technology has seen the modern bat have greater hitting power, a bigger sweet spot and a lighter […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The future of SA’s opposition politics
By Andy Carolin Contrary to popular perception, opposition parties in South Africa actually intend on making themselves relevant. It was with cautious trepidation that I heard about the possibility of an unspecified cooperation between the DA, ID, UDM and Cope. What will loom ominously above any collaboration between them is the fact that each of […]
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Words and action
Everyone knows the saying about “sticks and stones” but I’m beginning to become disillusioned with the ending. South Africa is a place where freedom of speech is highly valued among all people and the right to tell your story is something empowering and powerful. But how do we then stop people when they’ve said too […]
Posted inNews/Politics
From the Acropolis to the Burj
Recent reaction to the Greek economic crisis was striking in its dissimilarity to the reaction to Dubai’s economic woes in 2009. Dubai was effectively written off as a nation doomed to permanent decline whereas Greece has been rallied around. I guess it really does pay to be part of the European Union. German Chancellor Merkel […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
SpeakZA: Can Jacob Zuma be called an apie?
I am echoing the old debate where Eugene Terre’blanche referred to a statue of Chief Tshwane as an “apie”. For the record, I do not think he is ape-like at all (Jacob, not Eugene; I find Eugene slightly simian). I actually do not even wish to talk explicitly about Jacob Zuma, but about freedom of […]
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A how-to guide on front-row skullduggery
We all love our game of rugby with varying degrees of passion, from the Taliban-like fundamentalism of the painted Bulls bone heads, to the plasma screen couch fans popping salted peanuts in their mouth at home or at bars around the world. The game either ranges from a spectacle with a clash of the titan […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Verashni Pillay: SA’s newest boeremeisie
Yesterday, while perusing the news, I discovered a small announcement buried somewhere on the M&G website. It stated that columnist Verashni Pillay, along with a whole bunch of other journalists, had been reclassified as a boer journalist by a special decree from ANCYL leader Julius Malema. And as we all know, what Juju wants, Juju […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
Supporting (limits to) media freedom
Zuma has received his award as Newsmaker of the Year for 2009. Not surprising, given last year’s events: a mixed bag, with the withdrawal of corruption charges, his election to the presidency, the launch of the presidential hotline and controversial appointments of a new chief justice, national director of public prosecutions and national police commissioner, […]
Posted inLifestyle
Enough of this ‘parenting’ nonsense — raise your kids on lies!
If it were up to me, every single book ever written about “parenting” would be burnt and its author shot. I brought my kids up by following three basic maxims: never make a threat you can’t keep, always treat children like ordinary little people, and lie to them as much as you can — that’s […]