For a nation that has so vehemently cast off the shackles of colonialism, we South Africans have done a bloody good job of opting for that ridiculous British anachronism — the double-barrelled surname. It’s even stranger that this rather pompous trait seems to be confined almost exclusively to high-powered female members of the ruling party. […]
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Posted inGeneral
Much ado about … well, quite a lot actually
Spare a thought for the family of Andrew Olmsted. You may not know him, or even have heard of him, but you’re about to. This is what was posted on his blog site over the weekend: “This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
‘The roots of fear’ and the leaftips of hope
Sharon Begley, an outstanding reporter/writer for Newsweek, wrote an exceptional piece on the roles and rules of fear and hope in American presidential politics (“The roots of fear”, December 24 2007). Against the backdrop of South Africa’s mostly superficial Bakelite* political analysis in which the same tawdry arguments about personalities and so-called “policy planning” (an […]
Posted inBusiness, General, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics
Hope returns: Obama’s victory and global politics
Damn, I love Americans. Just when you’ve written them off as hopeless, as a nation in decline, they turn around and do something extraordinary, which tells you why the United States of America is still the greatest nation on earth. But too, what is happening in America and Kenya holds lessons for politicians everywhere, and […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Tech
Web 2.008
Here’s what I think 2008 holds. Because I’m an ignorant bastard who avoids newspapers and television and gets all my news from opinionated friends, my list can hardly be called well researched. Still, here it is. 1. Hillary Listen, whatever you may think of Hillary Clinton (South Africans, by and large, don’t seem to care […]
Posted inNews/Politics
South Africa — a worst-case scenario
Professor Steven Friedman, in his article on the potential direction of South African politics during 2008, looked at four possible scenarios pursuant to the charging of ANC president Jacob Zuma. Like his astute assessments at Polokwane, where his analysis alongside Justice Malala was most welcome, his knowledge on the mechanics of democracy and the South […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Sport
Generalisations of the year
Everybody knows generalisations are the heartbeat of truth. Leonard Cohen, the greatest living poet, said: “Everybody knows the dice are loaded, everybody rolls with their fingers crossed, everybody knows that the war is over, everybody knows that the good guys lost.” So the panel of pundits at TopEditor have put together the generalisations of 2007 […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Politics in 2008: The good, the bad and the likely
One of the few certainties about our politics is that things usually do not turn out nearly as bad, or as good, as we expect. The signs suggest that the political drama that the re-charging of Jacob Zuma will spark in 2008 will broadly follow this pattern. So prepare for neither doomsday nor Utopia as […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics, Sport, Tech
2008: A sneaky preview
Here’s what the coming year has in store for us, courtesy of Nostradamus’s greasy little ball. In January Saru announces what they call a “compromise candidate” to take over the role of Springbok coach. It is Andre Markgraaff, the former disgraced coach of telephone-tap/racist-comments fame.
Posted inGeneral
2008 : Nutcracker’s sweet or ballbreakers R Us? (Part II)
And now for something completely different: July World Youth Day will be celebrated in Sydney, Australia, and Bill Gates will step down from the day-to-day running of Microsoft. As the Jacob Zuma trial approaches, the government confirms that the decision on Jackie Selebi will be taken as soon as the minister of justice has returned […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Living in interesting times
There is a Chinese curse about living in interesting times, and that has certainly been the case in South Africa this past year. The year 2007 will no doubt go down in South Africa as the year of Jacob Zuma. Internationally there were some other major events, such as the assassination of former Pakistani prime […]
Posted inGeneral
2008: Nutcracker’s sweet or ballbreakers R Us? (Part I)
So don’t yield to the fortunes — You sometimes see as fate — It may have a new perspective — On a different date — And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in — You may just be OK. (Mike and the Mechanics, Living Years) 2008 may well prove to be pivotal in […]