International experience has shown former model offenders to be high-performing and effective if they are employed in prison
US
Posted inNews/Politics
US needs a gutsy Biden now
With political polarisations running deep after a divisive Trump presidency, the new administration will need to rid the country of crises on several fronts
Posted inBusiness
Trade with America thrived under Trump
Mutual mistrust there may have been, but economic activity between South Africa and the superpower remained robust. Now exports must diversify and create jobs
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Rampant racism in the US, the land of the not so free
I recently got my visa to visit the US of A. By recently, I mean three days ago. And as much as I’m excited for this much-anticipated holiday, I have many misgivings. The woman behind the glass at the United States Consulate in Johannesburg looked stern as she asked me if I have reason to […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
Giving thanks for places and people: South African-American bobotie in New England
As I get older I become more emotional. My children scoff, “Pah! You’re kidding, you’ve always been emotional.” Okay, maybe they’re right. Thank God they’re now older than 16 when they were always right. It always amazes me that in the few weeks before Thanksgiving the turkeys appear in the streets, in groups or gangs […]
Posted inEquality, News/Politics
Muslims no longer ‘own’ their Islam
*Name withheld It’s 10am on a Tuesday morning, and routinely, I browse through the web for the morning news. I know that I will come across the article soon, because my partner texted me late the night before saying: “Have you heard about Mars1? They’re making a reality show … and after eight years, whoever […]
Posted inGeneral
The discursive forces that shape our lives
The 21st-century world, and with it, our lives, are shaped by powerful discursive forces that are distinct from one another, but are nevertheless interrelated in complex ways. Sometimes they intertwine and reinforce one another, and sometimes they conflict, and the clash between discourses often spills over into the lives of ordinary (and sometimes high-profile) individuals […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Don’t let the ANC bully you
I recall a conversation I had with my Iranian-American friend Farhang Erfani when I was living in the US and despairing for that country after George W Bush’s (to my mind) fraudulent election as president ahead of Al Gore. When I expressed my misgivings about America’s future under ”presidents” like George Dubya, he pointed out […]
Posted inGeneral
The ins and outs of same-sex marriages in Zimbabwe and the US
By Anneke Meerkotter The first thing you are confronted with when you walk into the service section of the South African embassy in Harare is a South African department of home affairs poster on the process to register civil unions, including same-sex marriages. Why is this interesting? Because Zimbabwe’s first draft constitution released last week […]
Posted inBusiness, General
The economic week in review: Timeo Danaos
Fear of the Greeks was the dominant economic theme of the week. Greece’s failure to form a new government after inconclusive parliamentary elections last week drove markets broadly lower as concerns mounted that Europe’s debt crisis may soon get a lot worse. Elsewhere, America’s central bank hinted that the world’s largest economy may require further […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The ICC: Justice denied to Gaza victims
There was a sense of hope across the world in 1998 when 120 countries signed a treaty that would establish an international court. This court would, among others, follow noble principles to protect citizens from violence and abuse by their own governments, rebels or even foreign nations. The International Criminal Court which was to be […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Trayvon Martin: It’s about race and a lousy law
Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African-American teenager, was shot dead in Florida a month ago because of how he looked. Before being killed by a Hispanic self-appointed crime watch volunteer, Martin was described as “suspicious”. George Zimmerman was suspicious due to Martin’s skin colour, his wearing of a hoodie with the hood up (it was raining), […]