In November 2007, in an effort to update the laws on fertility treatment and embryo research, the British government introduced the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Key proposals in the Bill are: ensuring that all human embryos outside the body — whatever the process used in their creation — are subject to regulation; regulation of […]
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Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Energy-crisis myths, misrepresentations and fallacies
Submitted by Bryan Hadfield Much of the recent reporting on the Eskom crisis is based on a poor understanding of the true nature of the energy problems and what would constitute useful responses from the public. Half-truths, disingenuous excuses, obfuscation and myths abound. Turning off your hot-water cylinder for a few hours a day saves […]
Posted inLifestyle
A vegetarian’s nightmare, oozing blood and attitude
Vegetarians throughout the land will be sharpening their carrots on reading what I’m about to write, but in the interests of levity I have to own up to my one acknowledged prejudice: no, not vegetarians, but vegetarianism. There is a difference. Many vegetarians do not make much of an “ism” of their chosen diet. They […]
Posted inBusiness
Lies — more lies — and then there are financial firms
A blogger friend posted a lovely short article recently with the title “6 Reasons Why We Lie”. All of his reasons were absolutely spot-on. However, his final summary was the best. He maintained that the fundamental reason why people lie is because it mostly works. I want to add to this: it mostly works when […]
Posted inGeneral
Barack Obama echoes Mandela: The rainbow nation address
“Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote: “The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many […]
Posted inGeneral
Politics on the couch: Getting in touch with our inner Thabo Mbeki
“They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you”. So begins the British poet Philip Larkin in This Be The Verse but his wry observations are just as applicable to […]
Posted inLifestyle
A special day
This Friday, March 21, is special not only because it is both Human Rights Day and Good Friday, but also because it has significance in a range of different religions. Human Rights Day is the day on which South Africans celebrate the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution. Initially March 21 was known as […]
Posted inLifestyle
I’m a coconut and I’m proud of it — say it with me
A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece entitled “Of racists, kaffirs and coconuts” in which I wondered out loud if such a thing as a kaffir actually existed. That was at the height of the “Khoza fingers the kaffir” row. In that piece, I promised that I would return to the subject to complete […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
More online treasure
Remember when I said that finding cool new websites was like tapping into a vein of gold? I seem to have hit the jackpot! Check these out, and tell me you don’t feel inspired. I won’t believe you. Freshly Found (http://freshlyfound.blogspot.com/) is a blog full to bursting with creative ideas and beautiful things, some homemade, […]
Posted inGeneral
Is there life after death?
Inayat Bungawala, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, wrote a column asking Guardian readers the following question: Is death the end? Unsurprisingly, he was flooded with responses from many communities and any number of schools of thought. So I figured that, seeing as your bosses are paying for your time anyway, let’s […]
Posted inNews/Politics
I (hope one day I can) wear what I like
Submitted by Rumbi Goredema “Ain’t I a woman?” — Sojourner Truth A few weeks ago, Ncumisa Ngcukana was sexually assaulted at the Noord Street taxi rank because she was wearing a miniskirt. That’s the official version, at least. In the days that have followed, a bitter fight has raged between women (not just feminists, or […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Sex, school and why it’s all pear-shaped
Well, call me Mother Grundy, but I disapprove of sex at school. The report of the South African Human Rights Commission on school-based violence has me very worried. And well done to the commission, by the way, for keeping an eye on this particular issue. The idea of school being a hotbed of violent sexual […]