Andrew Worsdale Movie of the week Shushin-koyou-sei – “to be employed until you die” – is a Japanese expression for what is the life of the “salaryman”. For decades Japanese graduates joined companies and never left. Instead of firing employees who did not make the grade, businesses transferred them to subsidiaries or changed their job […]

movies Philip French Stephen King’s movie career got off to a strong start in 1976 when his first novel, Carrie, provided Brian de Palma with his first hit and brought Sissy Spacek an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a gawky teenager who uses her telekinetic powers to revenge herself on schoolmates and neighbours. Blood […]

Matthew Krouse On the air in Johannesburg In the 1920s, when radio transmitters were switched on for the first time all over the world, live music was the main attraction. The immediacy of the medium made people feel so modern, so in-with-the-times. Suddenly, you didn’t actually have to be there, to be part of what […]

Chris Gordon The United Nations has appointed a new special representative to head Angola’s peace mission. Issa Diallo is to take up his post at the end of August, as the UN faces spreading conflict in central Africa. Diallo’s appointment, announced at a joint commission meeting last Friday, follows the death of his predecessor, Maitre […]

Keith Henderson CD of the week Although Brimful of Asha is the track which has catapulted Cornershop to fame, the album is more than just one funky pop tune and a couple of mediocre bits and pieces to make up a complete album. Rather, When IWas Born for the 7th Time could easily be heralded […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Durban | Friday 5.00pm. UNITED Democratic Movement national secretary Sifiso Nkabinde on Friday expressed “shock” at Thursday’s closure of the Richmond police station, saying it is “strange” that the action was taken only after police officers accused of complicity in the violence demanded proof of the allegations against them. “The UDM finds it […]

Howard Barrell More National Party MPs are expected to follow the party’s Gauteng leader, Sam de Beer, who defected to the United Democratic Movement on Thursday. De Beer’s defection is further evidence of the disintegration of the once powerful NP and is a hammer blow to the fragile leadership of Marthinus van Schalkwyk. De Beer […]

What happens when a French philosopher decides to take on the truth commission? To find out, Chris Roper attended Jacques Derrida’s lecture on forgiveness at the University of the Western Cape `Pardon,” says the stylishly clad and devastatingly sexy Jacques Derrida. It is the first word of his lecture – one that will go on […]

William Boot Deputy President Thabo Mbeki’s intervention this week in Lesotho’s election crisis may prove too little, too late to head off disaster in the beleaguered kingdom. Mbeki, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfred Nzo and Minister of Defence Joe Modise secured agreement from both the governing Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and the country’s major […]

Miles Keylock Live in Cape Town During the past two years close on 200 South African “rock” bands released CDs. Pretty staggering figures when you pause to think about it. What is perhaps more astonishing, is that not even 10% of these bands are heavy metal bands. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a local […]