While today’s research style may be “RAEable”, it has become so unreadable it risks losing its audience, argues Les Back The piles of books, papers and reports have been dispatched to the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) panels from universities throughout Britain, but the effects on the quality of scholarly writing linger. The exercise is narrowing […]
Familiarity has bred a bit of contempt, reports Martin Gillingham If the Olympic movement has reason to thank track and field’s late boss Dr Primo Nebiolo, then it is for his decision 10 years ago to double the frequency of the world athletics championships. It was a move motivated more by Nebiolo’s greed for broadcasting […]
The Simpsons America’s favourite dysfunctional family. Jammed with cultural references, Matt Groening’s creation has maintained its high standards since 1989. King of the Hill The brainchild of Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge. The suburban humdrum of Hank Hill and family is given droll treatment in an intelligent show. Daria A cult success on both […]
Greyville celebrates the first weekend of the racing season with a 12-race programme on Saturday, including three grade 2 events and, of course, the R500000 grade 1 Gold Cup over 3200m. The traditional pipe-opener handicap has attracted a full field of 20, which includes David Payne’s Durban July third Double Reef. Stable jockey Kevin Shea […]
David Macfarlane All academic study involves extended periods of solitary work, but postgraduate courses most of all. Stepping from relatively structured and supportive bachelor-level courses to master’s and doctoral levels is daunting for many students sometimes overwhelmingly so, as high dropout rates at some institutions demonstrate. The University of the Western Cape (UWC) this year […]
Mboniso Sigonyela It is rare that a company finds a non-executive of Vincent Mntambo’s calibre. He has a master’s degree in law from Yale and is credited with the miraculous turnaround at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration where he is chairperson. Mntambo joins the Aveng board with effect from July 31 as a […]
Glenda Daniels The tripartite alliance is balanced on a knife-edge as talks deadlocked this week between the African National Congress and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) over the government’s privatisation policies. Cosatu says it will engage in a two-day strike on August 29 and 30 with a build-up of half-day strikes and […]
Peter Kingston Here’s a whopping conundrum. For eight years you’ve been toiling on your thesis about the British post-war far left, as it happens and you’re within a spit of the doctorate. The examiners want you to rejig the thesis introduction and resubmit it. On the other hand, a song you’ve written for your band […]
REVIEW David Shapshak Motorola v.8088 The best thing about Motorola phones, a friend who lives in the United States and cherishes his tells me, is that they come apart when you drop them. The kinetic energy from the fall dissipates when the parts unclip, he says. Then it puts it all back together again. I […]
Glenda Daniels Development studies in South Africa are to receive a major boost as Wits University prepares to launch a new postgraduate initiative in the field. “This will entail the largest development network in the country and the continent,” says Professor Belinda Bozzoli, head of social sciences, who is spearheading the project. Three faculties will […]