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/ 11 January 2008

Beer and Buddhism

Dressed in dark cotton robes, a bracelet of prayer beads hanging from his wrist, Gugan Taguchi certainly looks the part. But, as he kneels to chant a sutra before an altar in the corner of the room, the people around him continue to chat and his rhythmic prayers can only just be heard above a Blue Note jazz track.

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/ 11 January 2008

Any colour as long as it’s green

The significant other and I found ourselves owning two cars with a combined engine capacity of 7,2 litres. Bought before 2000 when oil was below $20 a barrel, these beasts were hardly fuel-efficient or modest about contributing to a warming planet. After some research we bought a 2,5-litre Subaru Forrester, but delayed selling one or both of the beasts as I probed our best option.

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/ 11 January 2008

Gold, oil at new highs

Gold prices soared to new records trecently, on the back of oil’s surge, helped by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The oil price hit $100 a barrel in trading last week, having increased 57% last year, according to Fortune magazine. This puts oil within reach of its all-time inflation-adjusted high of $102 a barrel.

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/ 11 January 2008

Mbete to Zuma’s rescue

The appointment of ANC national chairperson Baleka Mbete to run the political committee in Parliament will be the first step in winning over ANC MPs to support the quest to defend ANC president Jacob Zuma. Mbete will replace Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, who is the current chairperson of this powerful committee.

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/ 11 January 2008

Hospitals face R1bn claim

Private hospitals in South Africa could be facing demands to repay about R1-billion they allegedly charged medical schemes over the past three years for overpriced theatre gases that were not used on patients. Trustees of the medical schemes were reminded that they could be held accountable if they fail to retrieve any funds that were paid erroneously to hospitals.

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/ 11 January 2008

How the weird turned pro

”When the going gets weird,” the late father of gonzo journalism Hunter S Thompson once wrote, ”the weird turns pro”. On Wednesday Thompson’s words came to life in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, where Gauteng Scorpions head Gerrie Nel was granted bail of R10 000 he was arrested, handcuffed and detained on two to five charges — depending on who you ask.

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/ 11 January 2008

Quality control

Can a quality school be created in a poverty-stricken area? Is it possible when school fees are R50 a year? The answer is: ”Yes!” Many schools in informal settlements are giving learners an excellent education. These schools have a guiding principle: quality.

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/ 11 January 2008

Delhi’s controversial clean-up

When Baldev Singh arrived to open his car parts showroom last September he found not customers but officials from Delhi’s municipal council at his doorstep. Part of a drive to clean up Delhi in advance of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Singh was forced to close his business — sacking 12 of his staff. Officials told him that zoning laws, previously ignored, were now to be zealously enforced.