Botswana, democracy, Helen Zille, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Julius Malema, Nelson Mandela, rule of law

South Africa’s Election a Triumph of Democracy

The biggest winner in South Africa’s May 7th parliamentary election is democracy itself. Twenty years after the first all race ballot, Nelson Mandela’s rainbow nation is alive and well in the country of 50 million. The election is a triumph of constitutional government and rule of law. Eighteen million people, 74% of registered voters, peacefully cast ballots at 22,000 polling stations across nine provinces from … Continue reading South Africa’s Election a Triumph of Democracy

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment
apartheid, Desmond Tutu, FW deKlerk, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Izak Smuts, Jacob Zuma, Nelson Mandela, Oscar Pistorius, Robert Mugabe, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, South Africa, Soweto, Thokozile Masipa

The May 7th Vote in the New South Africa

To understand the new South Africa, look no further than the red-robed female jurist presiding at the televised trial of blade runner Oscar Pistorius. “My lady,” as she is addressed in court, is Thokozile Masipa, a 67-year-old lawyer from Soweto. In 1998 she became only the second black woman appointed to a South African high court. Judge Thokozile Masipa (photo: SABC)  Here is a judge … Continue reading The May 7th Vote in the New South Africa

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment
Africa, Angola, European Union, FW de Klerk, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Ian Smith, Johannesburg, Maputo, Mozambique, Nelson Mandela, Portugal, Rhodesia, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Remembering Portugal’s Revolution That Changed Africa

Forty years ago a brave band of junior officers overthrew Portugal’s dictatorship. On April 25th, 1974 thousands poured into Lisbon’s plazas in celebration. Flower sellers did a brisk trade in red carnations that poked from the barrels of soldiers’ rifles. Marcelo Caetano, the despot who headed the fascist government in power since 1932, fled to Brazil. The young captains behind the coup had seen for … Continue reading Remembering Portugal’s Revolution That Changed Africa

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment
Amazon, Apple, Brad Stone, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Jeff Bezos, Kindle

Kindle and the Rise of E-Books

In a late February talk in Washington, HarperCollins chief executive Brian Murray declared that Amazon.com seeks to put publishers out of business. “No-one,” he said, “has yet discovered how to compete with Amazon.” He regards Amazon as more powerful than Walmart. Amazon’s Kindle that was unveiled in 2007, said Murray, triggered the explosive growth of ebooks, which now comprise 20% of all books sold in … Continue reading Kindle and the Rise of E-Books

Unknown's avatarBarry D. Wood1 Comment
Allan Winde, Cape Argus, Cape Town, cycling, David Bellairs, South Africa, Table Mountain

Up Against the Wind in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA The 65-mile Argus bicycle tour has been an annual fixture in Cape Town since 1978. A charity event run in part by the local Rotary Club, the Argus has evolved into the world’s biggest timed bicycle race. This year’s event on March 9th drew 35,000 cyclists, 90% of whom were South African. This year’s winners completed the scenic circuit winding around … Continue reading Up Against the Wind in Cape Town

Unknown's avatarBarry D. WoodLeave a comment