Listening to SAfm this morning, I heard part of a phone-in discussion between the presenter and a representative of a company that has done research on the number of public schools as opposed to private schools in South Africa. The discussion focused...
Architecture is usually understood as the science, or art, of designing buildings with a view to constructing them, but among its current definitions one also finds concepts such as "network architecture", and the structural interaction, behaviour or...
We give too much power to our leaders in Africa. We invest them with god-like status and then feel disappointed when they deliberately disregard the public good, or stray from the path we hoped we'd be on. Worse though is the fact that we influence w...
Some people believe that things never really change in society -- there are several proverbs which attest to this deep-seated belief, such as: "The more things change, the more they remain the same." This is not true, of course -- there was a fundame...
By Michael Baillie
The idea of individualism is not new. What is new, however, is the importance and prestige attached to one's individuality. We are constantly told to embrace it and to relish in our uniqueness. It's a message pumped out by the m...
There are two main points that really get my goat about the current Ukweshwama debacle (Ukweshwama, for those who don't know, is a traditional Zulu ceremony involving the ritualistic slaying of a bull). The first is the unbridled cruelty to the anima...
I am often one to criticise the media for generating unwarranted fears. I see the swine flu "epidemic" as one clear example of media hype being larger than the real problem. South Africa is perceived to be one of the most violent countries in the wor...
We live in a world where marketing your message is critical, whether you're selling a commercial product or sanctuary. Even the most inherently good messages can be lost when shrouded with layers of extremism and contrast.
The idealist in me hates...
"The purpose of engagement," said Kate Philip to a small but packed lecture theatre at UCT's Hiddingh Campus this weekend "is to change the world, a world that is shaped by power. Power itself is not random, it is organised, and therefore to tackle f...
I have had a few cathartic experiences living in this beautiful country of ours. One of them was in 1989 sitting in a room full of fellow students debating issues which to us at the time were very important for our organisation, AIESEC. We were gathe...
