Raak wys to the rejuvenating power of slang

My two-year-old son calls his sandals his “scandals”. So does his five-year-old brother. And so do his parents, come to think of it.

08.2021 | Carlos Amato

The karoo – cradle of the mammals

Africa may have been the cradle of Humankind, but the continent was also the birthplace of the order to which we belong – the Mammalia.

08.2021 | Tom Learmont

How we know what we know

Why do so many people believe things that aren’t true, even when unprecedented access to information and evidence should change their minds?

08.2021 | Eugene Yiga

A spirit of excellence

Bomber pilot, ukulele player and winner of 72 professional tournaments, South African golfing legend Bobby Locke was a charismatic and talented man.

08.2021 | Ingrid Wood

Learning in traffic

The microlearning revolution

Two years ago I loaded Duolingo on to my phone to learn a few sentences of conversational Spanish before a holiday.

07.2021 | Debby Edelstein

Decadence to decay

Empires rise and most certainly fall. Of most interest to me, though, are the periods between. It is interesting to note, varying from case to case, an almost inverse relationship between the entitled decadence of subsequent generations of heirs

07.2021 | Lee Blake

Creatures great and small

We share this planet with such a rich variety of creatures. Often animals symbolize different traits to which we aspire or simply appreciate.

07.2021 | Daniel Heintz

Reality bites

For the last 20 years, reality TV shows have demanded more and more space on the small screen, largely because there are loads of willing participants and because reality TV is such an affordable programming option.

11.2021 | Tiffany Markman

No Logo

There are many ways to recognise a truly great book. Does it alter or enlighten your perspective on a topic? Does it retain relevance? Does it explain or predict phenomena that will impact your job – or even your life?

07.2021 | Alistair Duff

Foresight

Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.

06.2021 | Rachel Edelstein

The ugly truth about ‘pretty privilege

In 1889, legendary Russian writer Leo Tolstoy said, “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness” (Kreutzer Sonata).

06.2021 | Tiffany Markman

Tit for Tatt and the vampire bat

If you’re familiar with the expression “nice guys finish last” you’ve probably considered whether it’s true, and wondered if you should be meaner.

06.2021 | Jon Stilwell

The art of dying

I’m not talking about the ‘Eastern Philosophy’ offered by self-styled gurus who present common sense as universal truths to a slew of admirers for a hefty fee.

06.2021 | Justine Loots

Rocnation? What’s that in English?

NOT long after Siya Kolisi became the Springboks’ first black captain in 2018, the Gwijo Squad – a passionate and particularly vocal group of young black professionals who revived an old tradition of singing Xhosa songs at sporting events – factored his name into the lyrics of an old favourite.

06.2021 | Simnikiwe Xabanisa

Controversial? Perhaps

It is virtually impossible to make a non-ideological statement. Phrase an observation one way, and you are a Marxist Vegan ready to wipe the slate and history clean…

05.2021 | Peter van der Walt

Resilience Part 1: Shellshock and Snowflakes

“You are not special. You’re not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You’re the same decaying organic matter as everything else.”

05.2021 | Nicole Wills