Paul Kirk It would have been the ultimate New Year’s party – toasting in the millennium on board a ship once billed as the largest moving object in the world. But plans to rebuild the Titanic seem to have sunk while still in shallow water. Nearly two years ago, in January 1998, CEO of the […]

When fame is an open book, Christ, Shakespeare and Lenin lead the list of icons who have inspired the world’s authors, writes Martin Kettle in Washington If fame is having a book written about you, then as the subject of no fewer than 17 239 books, Jesus Christ remains the most famous figure in the […]

Aaron Nicodemus Nostradamus, a French physician whose real name was Michel de Nostredame, was buried in a Parisian church in 1566. He wrote over 1 000 poetic prophecies for the future, and many believe half of them have come true. He allegedly predicted with nearly uncanny foresight the French Revolution, the rise and fall of […]

Marianne Merten The year started with a blast in Cape Town. On New Year’s Day 1999 a pipe bomb ripped apart a car in the V&A Waterfront parking, injuring two people, but resulting in no arrests. The year is ending with a bang – and confusion. Police and politicians sprang into action in November after […]

An unknown genius on the Internet has written the definitive management guide to re-engineering the Santa operation The recent announcement that Donner and Blitzen have elected to take the early reindeer retirement package has triggered a good deal of concern about whether they will be replaced and about other restructuring decisions at the North Pole. […]

The historic town of Weimar has played a pivotal role in shaping the German identity. John Matshikiza recently spent some time there Another week, another airport. I was staring at an empty carousel revolving before me at Frankfurt International. My luggage wasn’t there, and I was beginning to do the now-familiar trot around every baggage […]

THE death toll in the ongoing carnage on South African roads since December 1 had reached the 500 mark by Wednesday afternoon, Arrive Alive said. In a statement it said 500 people have died in 335 accidents. Of those killed 229 were passengers, 136 were drivers and 135 pedestrians. KwaZulu-Natal still has the highest death […]

At the bloody dawn of a new millennium, Jonathan Steele foresees no escape for the world from warfare and suffering that branded the 20th century an Age of Barbarism This has been, as Eric Hobsbawm put it, ”without doubt the most murderous century of which we have record by the scale, frequency and length of […]

1 Babylon 2 The dragon (Satan) 3 One third 4 Twelve foundation stones and 12 gates representing ”the 12 apostles of the lamb” 5 One thousand years; after which he will be ”loosed a little season” 6 ”The first creature was like a lion, the second like an ox, the third had a human face, […]

ARCHBISHOP Desmond Tutu, who is currently in resident in the United States, is to be honoured by the New York Stock Exchange by ringing the closing bell of trading on December 23. The ringing of the bell forms part of the stock exchange’s Bridging the Millennium programme, a series honouring distinguished leaders of this century […]