06 July 2003

Makes You Think Unbelievable set of photos, unique use of the web to preserve and illuminate history.  Fascinating.  Intense discussion unlocked, too. 4:45:04 PM    comment []

The Last Word on Henman The circus has packed up and left town for another year, a little earlier than was hoped, but no sooner than could have reasonably been expected. Henmania has died out and plucky Tim will again spend the next 12 months playing the kind of reasonably good but not top-rate tennis that we all assume he is capable of for two weeks in grassy south London. A very philosophical article puts into perspective the whole repeated Henman hype which so fascinates me, and relates to the Sysiphean task of endlessly pushing a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down again.  So, Henman's endless task becomes a metaphor for life in general.  Now I understand, and I should not be so hard on Henman or his adoring fans and the British press who trumpet his chances every year. 3:53:16 PM    comment []

Mandela at 85 Anthony Sampson, who has known Nelson Mandela for 50 years, pays a birthday tribute to the statesman who wants a quiet life but is still drawn to the public stage, the world icon who, in his old age, has grown angrier and more outspoken than ever A great piece about a really great man.  What will the world do when the time comes for Madiba to leave us? Some highlights: ....The manner of his retirement in 1999 is in itself a tribute to his achievement of a new South Africa. Five years earlier, before his own inauguration, most South Africans doubted whether elections could be held at all, in the face of violent threats by his opponents to boycott them. Now, South Africans of all colours take for granted that their country is a multiracial working democracy. This is Mandela's most valuable legacy. ....He went out of his way to praise Walter Sisulu, his first mentor who had transformed the ANC in the Fifties, and who died in May. 'He has not occupied any great position,' Mandela said at the time of Sisulu's ninetieth birthday in 2002, 'but he stands head and shoulders above any of us, because he had two qualities: humility and simplicity - and steel in his soul.' When Sisulu died, Mandela acknowledged his most crucial influence. 'By ancestry, I was born to rule,' he said, but Sisulu 'helped me to understand that my real vocation was to be a servant of the people.' .....during his years as President, he had strained relations with Mbeki, who was his deputy. He emphasised to me that the choice of his successor was not made by him, but by the ANC and its allies. He was worried privately that Mbeki was too suspicious of his colleagues, too dependent on a few cronies. .... Read it all, and don't miss the links at the bottom of the article.  The Guardian Unlimited is an extraordinarily good web site in this respect - absolutely superb, and it's all free! 2:52:28 PM    comment []

Tony Blair, Alistair Campbell and the BBC Incomprehensible that this issue is generating so much hot air, and that it threatens Blair's survival in office.  Here are two contrasting opinions from the Sunday Telegraph, setting out the seriousness of the issue.  And The Observer has a scoop today also, plus further intelligent comment indicating that we may never get to the bottom of whether Mr Blair oversold the need to go to war. 2:28:22 PM    comment []

Heart of darkness in a once-shining city of gold A very unlikely column from the normally suave and sardonic David Bullard. 2:15:10 PM    comment []

Bush in Africa Prior to George W Bush's first visit to Africa in his presidency, Tony Karon of  Time.com writes a considered prologue to the tour, stating that  Bush is not bringing gifts but demands, that it is all about oil and obtaining assistance in the fight against terrorism.  Bush's own pre-tour briefing is included in this piece, which I think is more even-handed than the headline would suggest:  "George W Bush is promoting peace in Africa because it will serve his own imperialist aims: the pursuit of oil and terrorists, writes Tony Karon". IOL carried a report on a pre-tour interview given by Bush to SATV, with the focus on his advice to Mbeki to put more pressure on Mugabe, with which I can only agree. Meanwhile there are the usual background pieces dealing with security preparations, manhole covers being welded etc. and the usual pieces dealing with the mindless and inevitable demonstrations against the visit, the first "mass demonstration" organized by the SACP and Cosatu drawing the magnificent total of 9 participants.  Did I say organized?  Sorry.   1:29:04 PM    comment []