There are many stories about the whims of Czar Nicholas I. One of them concerns the railway line between St Petersburg and Moscow, which was opened in 1851, towards the end of his reign, and is still in use today. The line was remarkably straight except for a pronounced kink about 160km from St Petersburg […]

Watching sport was put into perspective by the September 11 attacks Gavin Evans Any history of 2001 has to start with September 11, and so it is with sport. The impact of three aeroplanes on two towers and one military command centre may have no connection with fairways and fields, baseball diamonds and boxing rings, […]

Ian Tasman It’s that time of year when people take stock, be it in the form of a year-end bonus for the lucky ones or, for the others, just a general look at their mental and physical health. Amazingly, another year has come to an end, and as we slowly move from the office to […]

GOLF’SYEARINREVIEW Andy Capostagno Tiger Woods had a poor year, winning just six times on the United States PGA Tour including the US Masters. That such a season could be described as one of underachievement underlines the way Woods’s astonishing talent has changed the way we think about the game. The fact is that Woods could […]

music Riaan Wolmarans Aquadome,Emerald SafariResort and Casino. The Dance Till Dawn party on New Year’s Eve from 9pm has DJs Lea, Morgan, Lalicia,Chris and others. Tickets are R100 (R85 for students), including some free drinks, at Computicket or the Aquadome. More info:Tel:(016) 982 8000. Bassline, 7 Seventh Street, Melville. 340ml from Mozambique perform on Thursday […]

music Alex Sudheim 330, 330 Point Road. Durban’s legendary nightclub keeps the serious dance faction in business with the heaviest rig and the wildest parties in town. On Friday December 21 cult international electronic outfit Kosheen perform, featuring special guests Simon Mills and Nail Tolliday from Bent playing their world-famous DJ sets. Kosheen come from […]

music Miles Keylock 0932, 79 Main Road, Green Point. On Sunday December 23 join Pam Demenezes and her quartet Kevin Gibson (drums), Andrew Lilley (piano) and Darryll Andrews (bass). On December 30 Afro-jazzy world-music combo Tsunami features some of South Africa’s future jazz icons, including Max Mikula on guitar, Brendan Ou Tim on bass, Peter […]

How many of the year’s events can you remember? 1 Name the new”peace park” straddling the Kruger National Park, Mozambique’s Coutada 16 and Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou? 2 In what cities would you find the eThekwini, Msunduzi and Tshwane councils? 3Which club from South Africa won the 27th edition of the African Cup winners’ cup, also known […]

Sex, suicide, scandal and defecation on the Big Brother set. It’s been business as unusual in the cultural industries this year February 14: Piano genius Moses”Taiwa” Molelekwa is found hanging from a beam near his wife and business partner Florence Mthoba, also dead but without visible injuries. Friends and associates reflect how”he could not conquer […]

Frank Keating on the single most important object in myriad sports, so frequently overlooked Etched as it is so vividly in the memory, it could easily be, oh, just a handful of Christmas mornings ago. In fact I was four, and next week fully 60 Christmases have gone since then. If not a reindeer hoof […]