I really love the quaint civil society assertion that they will somehow be able to defeat this most vulgar attack on our freedom of speech and constitutional dispensation being perpetrated at present by the ANC, both in their roles as the party of government and supposedly the party of freedom.
Talking to friends, whether they […]
Filed under: Commentary, Cosatu, Decision Theory, Democratic Alliance, Economy, Government, Ideas, Journalism, Language, Law, Media Freedom, Politics by Andrew la Grange
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In case you believe that the whole country is going to hell in a hand basket, and national enterprise is destined for absolute failure, think about the South African Post Office.
I can’t speak for its profitability, but then again the U.S. Mail is a loss leader for that country, and the UK’s service is […]
Filed under: Africa, Business, Economy, Government, Language by Andrew la Grange
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Common Craft is a pretty cool company. They make complex things understandable to the common man. So I could help but laugh when I hit there web page today, and splashed across the front in bright red was a Drupal error that only a SQL-Talker (there is a good reason for SQL being a […]
Filed under: Business, Design, Irony, Language, Rant by Andrew la Grange
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Reading a letter to The Times today, reader Jeff Mpondozenyathi makes a balanced expression that Cheeky Watson and his son Luke are right in their vehement criticism of the Springbok emblem, and the complicity that many in the rugby had with Apartheid.
I don’t agree with Mpondozenyathi, but I understand his frustration and his feelings […]
Filed under: Commentary, Ideas, Language, Politics, Reconciliation, Society, Sport, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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Luke Watson, and his father, are controversial figures in South African rugby, a sport which is plagued with racist and intra white (i.e. English Vs. Afrikaans) destructive attitudes. But it is also a great bridge builder, as the Great reconciler, Nelson Mandela showed brilliantly in 1995.
South Africans, of all races, are proud of South […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Ideas, Language, Politics, Rant, Society, Sport, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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I’ve been watching some of the U.S. Presidential debates, if one can call them that, and I’ve been rather disappointed - even as an outsider; its more interesting to watch the send-ups of the debates - ala Saturday Night Live.
Why have American politics become so focus-grouped/sanitized? Indeed, why does it seem that […]
Filed under: Commentary, Government, Ideas, Language, Politics, U.S. Elections by Andrew la Grange
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PK will no doubt fight with me on this, but I think I might just have called it (probably my best one since I said the West should be concerned about Arab Extremism , on MFM 92.6 on the 10th of September 2001) regarding the next President (Has Motlanthe used Zuma as a Sleeper? : […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Corruption, Decision Theory, Diplomacy, Language, Philosophy, Politics, Society, Zuma by Andrew la Grange
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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080911141538545C746132
I should choose my words wisely. Because Sbu Ngobeni is quoted today by Independent Newspapers, as saying he will “shoot and kill” Jonathan Shapiro, who Mr. Ngobeni says “deserved to rot in hell” for Sunday’s cartoon indicating Jacob Zuma was being assisted by the Alliance to rape the justice system.
Do we now live in […]
Filed under: Commentary, Corruption, Economy, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Rant, Society, War, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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In a democracy, all figures are equal before the law. But some of a citizens rights are removed because of their actions. Most notable of course are the rights of criminals. We all agree, as a society, that sometimes the the rights of the individual are balanced against the rights of society and are […]
Filed under: Comedy, Commentary, Corruption, Language, Law, Politics, Rant, Society, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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South Africa’s children need to have better educations. They need the resources and good teaching that can forge young people into contributors to society, and those who can excel on the world stage.
What should not happen is using children as fodder for political protest and gain. Whilst some might cite 1976 as an example […]
Filed under: Corruption, Education, Ideas, Language, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Rant, Society, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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I’m an African youth. I might be white. I might not support the ANC (or the DA or the rest of the incompetent left overs from all divides of Apartheid politics). And I suppose in the world of a struggle ‘veteran’ (yeah: like the 18 year old ‘veterans’ of the Zimbabwean civil war that happened […]
Filed under: Commentary, Corruption, Crime, Ideas, Language, Politics, Rant, Society, Zuma, ethics by Andrew la Grange
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We live in a very bite sized world. I’ve recently read Ted Neward’s blog post about experience versus knowledge. I warn you that Ted is a software guy, so get a developer to explain any parts of the posts you might not understand.
At the same time, I read a blog post by a MooTools […]
Filed under: Ideas, Language, Media, Rant by Andrew la Grange
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I’m going to have quick blog about something not political (in fact I’m going to try and avoid politics for a while, because my head is beginning to explode with anger/rage/fear/frustration). I’ll just say that moral governments should invade Zimbabwe to end the humanitarian crisis, Jacob Zuma should be prohibited from becoming president (not necessarily […]
Filed under: Commentary, Decision Theory, Ideas, Language, Media by Andrew la Grange
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I haven’t blogged in a while. I needed a break, and I had to avoid freaking out about Hlope, Zimbabwe, the Million (Thousand?) Man March, and the otherwise seemingly endless tide of bad news leaving our society at present: even the economy is going down the drain (although now maybe I can afford a home […]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary, Ideas, Language, Philosophy, Society, War by Andrew la Grange
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During the Great Depression, and afterwards during the New Deal (which could be argued was pretty depressing for many) Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people with the so-called ‘Fireside chats’. I think that sort of direct passive communication between the leader of a nation and its citizens is a good thing.
Thabo Mbeki may […]
Filed under: Business, Commentary, Corruption, Crime, Economy, Education, Ideas, Language, Law, Medicine, Politics, Rant, Society, ethics, work by Andrew la Grange
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