Blog Entries
Why we all should support Aung San Suu Kyi: Part 1
31 January 2022 — After World War II, the British Empire confronted the law of diminishing returns with regard to their looting and pillaging of their colonial territories. So, they pulled out, but divided those territories in a manner that was generally certain to provoke sectarian...
The BS detector: why you should not trust your local media
30 January 2022 — My commentary last week on how the Ukraine conflict is likely to play out evoked a question from a reader : "How is it possible in ZAs media landscape that the best analysis commentary is from a private blog, and in media houses the only international news are Reuters...
China's not-so secret weapon against the US
29 January 2022 — Here's a question where the answer might seem obvious, but is not: If you were going to buy a Tesla in Japan, what's the best way to do that? If you answered, "I would import it from Shanghai," you would be correct. If you get your news analysis from the likes of CNN, BBC...
Things to do before you turn 30: Lessons from Alexander the Great
28 January 2022 — A photorealistic representation of Alexander III of Macedonia (more familiarly known as Alexander the Great) depicting how he may have appeared in life, was published on the World History Encyclopedia website a year ago. The internet being what it is, I only got to see it...
Israel and South Africa: emotion versus realpolitik
27 January 2022 — A terse announcement on Twitter two days ago from my country’s president: His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa receives Letter of Credence from the Ambassador of the State of Israel, His Excellency Mr Eliav Belotsercovsky, on the occasion of the Credentials Ceremony at...
Is it flirting or is it harassment?
26 January 2022 — I stumbled across a meme doing the rounds recently. It depicts two men: one is young, svelte, and nattily dressed; the other is older, corpulent, with a receding hairline, and a double chin. Both are quoted saying: “That dress looks sexy on you”. The first man is captioned...
The benefit of social conventions
25 January 2022 — I was stuck in a rush hour traffic jam in Harare, Zimbabwe. The reason? The busy intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Enterprise Road had traffic lights out of action. As a result, every motorist simply piled into the intersection hugging the bumper of the vehicle in...
There's a quiet revolution in nuclear energy: 10 recent signs
24 January 2022 — There's a quiet revolution going on in the quest for green energy. You won't see much of this as headline news, but check this out: 1. On 20 December 2021, China brought online the world's first operational modular nuclear reactor. It's a two-step process; a second...
Here's how the Ukraine conflict is likely to play out...
22 January 2022 — (If you missed my tirade yesterday, you should probably start there. Otherwise, read on:) 1. The United States and Russia are both nuclear powers, capable of wiping out entire cities in each other's territories; this through a combination of intercontinental ballistic...
What a Blinken idiot…
21 January 2022 — Let's make one thing clear before I start on my tirade. I love the United States of America. The country embraced me, gave me an education second to none, and the wonderful friendships I made then endure to this day. If I start going through a list of influential people I...
China’s middle finger to Biden
20 January 2022 — Data from the General Administration of Chinese Customs shows China imported more than 1,78 million barrels of Iranian crude oil last month. Some perspective: China’s daily consumption is 14,23 million barrels . The fuel bought from Iran is amounts to 3% of one day’s...