Humans top a list of 30 creatures that possess what has been called the “God-given gift” of intelligence, of which there are more than 70 accepted definitions. However, thanks to a combination of skewed values, lack of empathy and just plain ignorance, we’re in danger of slipping down in the ratings.… Read the rest
President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous advice; “speak softly and carry a big stick”, did not preclude using the stick if necessary, a point that seems to escape the Biden administration in its efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One reason, I submit, is the enforced absence of the foreign Press in Gaza.… Read the rest
The only thing more useless than an opportunity not seized is an obvious lesson not learned. The Biden administration’s “plan” to deliver aid to Gaza without putting boots on the ground has managed both at the same time.… Read the rest
A poem from which many of my generation drew perceived wisdom includes the line: “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”.To my deep chagrin, I find it is not clear, and I sincerely hope there’s a course correction in the unfolding bit, starting with the way we’re being kept up to date with the process.… Read the rest
In the noxious stew of today’s world, the recent closing of Newspaper House, home of the Argus, Cape Town’s evening newspaper since 1857, is a minor bit of gristle. But I began my journalism career there, so rather than a political diatribe in this week’s perch post, I’m going to indulge in nostalgia.… Read the rest
The “document of principles” Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu laid out for post-war management of Gaza looks more like a backroom amateur’s attempt to clone South Africa’s Bantustan plan for keeping blacks in poverty and subservience. If that’s the best he can come up with, there are a couple of other apartheid quirks more worthy of consideration.… Read the rest
It’s a factoid only Scrabble devotees might know, but there are more than 1,000 words that end in ‘ism’, which indicates a specific practice, system, or philosophy. Herewith two additions, one of which has a less than slim chance at success, the other I just invented as a hopefully viable alternative.… Read the rest
If you’ve got good health and a decent pension, being a retiree has a fair share of perks, not least of which is freedom from the downsides of going to work. As a beneficiary of those, I’ve been amusing myself by conjuring up sympathy for people with jobs that make me wonder why anyone would want them in the first place.… Read the rest
By any measure, levels of suffering, compassion and deprivation of human rights ought not be based on nationality, ethnicity or economic status. An attack on a small U.S. military outpost few even knew existed, and four months of bombing and artillery strikes that have been rained on Gaza flaunt that in reality, the exact opposite is the order of the day.… Read the rest
Author and screenwriter William Goldman encapsulated the movie business in two lines: “Nobody knows anything…Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.” There’s plenty of evidence the wisdom equally sums up prognostications and pronouncements on today’s major issues; American politics, the three Hs — Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis — and the Ukraine-Russia imbroglio. … Read the rest