Creator
Julia Beffon
‘South Africa would host a memorable World Cup’
Four years after being among South Africa’s most bitter rivals for the chance of hosting the 2006 soccer World Cup, England is now among this country’s keenest backers for the…
Ali has gift of the gab to go with the jab
Cassius Green, cut man supreme, is probably quite glad that Laila Ali’s regular trainer, Floyd Mayweather Snr, does not enjoy long-distance flights. Mayweather has deputised…
The boss of MeerKAT manor
Anthropomorphism and science are usually, at best, uneasy bedfellows — but, as the acronym for the Karoo Array Telescope is KAT, it is not surprising the astronomers involved…
Legends are still playing the game
The middle-aged woman waiting patiently on the sidelines at the Atrec playing fields in Alexandra on Tuesday summed up the effect the influx of sports heroes had on South Africa…
High on the hog
Any South African who uses national highways or main roads in our cities will sooner or later run into a government convoy. Depending on the rank of the politician being taxied,…
The World Cup of science
On September 8 1966 Earth first made contact with the most famous split infinitive in the universe: ”To boldly go”. A decade after Star Trek hit the small screen South Africa…
Andre Agassi: Departure of a legend
I first took notice of Andre Agassi during the 1988 French Open, a tournament I particularly remember as it coincided with my last meaningful attempt to get fit. I’d installed an…
Xena rising: Enter the age of the pluton
A quick check of my online horoscope on Wednesday morning helped allay the fear that had kept me awake most of the previous night: the planets were still favourably aligned for…
Cry mush and let slip the dogs of sport
As the first ”legally blind” entrant to complete the gruelling Iditarod dog-sled race through the frozen wilds of Alaska, Rachel Scdoris should have had no problems with a 7,8km…
Of big whoppers and football
Burger King’s claim to be ”the home of the Whopper” has been challenged by Johannesburg in the past couple of weeks. Although the United States fast-food chain’s advertising…
United’s strong Red ties to SA
When Manchester United were last in South Africa, in 1993, the club were on a high. A campaign driven by Eric Cantona had seen them crowned inaugural Premier League winners —…
Playing with the Mob
When Bernardo Provenzano was arrested in mid-April, a few people in the computer-gaming industry might have suspected Electronic Arts of having a hand in it. What better…
Hate speech fuels bigotry
As predictable as sensationalist coverage of the ”lesbian murder trial” recently was the reaction from conservative religious groups to the verdict. No sooner had magistrate Rita…
Up the creek in a ‘crocodile’
It’s a tribute to modern vehicle manufacture that the biggest problem I’ve encountered since buying a car last year is to describe its colour. ”Oyster silver” means little to…
In search of a mirrored shield
The Mail & Guardian‘s business section ran stories late last year on how advances in voice-over-internet protocol present a huge challenge to Telkom. The telecommunications…